Sailor Ra
by MySweetAzaeleah
Summary: Yami has been in love with Yuugi for years and finally plans to confess his feelings during summer vacation. Up until a talking cat and him and their friends gaining magical powers get in the way. As the Senshi -the champions of the gods- they must fight the forces of evil, even if it ruins their summer. In the name of Ra, someone's about to get freaking punished. Sailor Moon AU
1. Episode 1: I am Sailor Ra! (Part 1)

_**AN:**_ _Yep i actually made a Sailor Moon Au of Yu-Gi-Oh...See you in hell, but make sure to drop a review before you come visit. _This is more inspired by Sailor Moon than a 'follow the show to the exact episode detail and just change the names' situation. It will have a bunch of arcs that mirror the actual show and some obvious similarities and shared themes. That being said I'm also altering the hell out of it. _Also just for fun I'll be doing a long running contest throughout the fic. In your review (an actual review not just your answer) leave who you think will be this story's equivalent of the next Sailor Senshi in line to be introduced before the chapter where they will be revealed in. First to get it right can request a one shot with any rating (yes even M you freaking pervs), genre - and even pairing if you want one - of their choice.  
><em>

**_Contest: _**_Which character will be our Sailor Mercury? You have until chapter 3._

_**Disclaimer: **I own a plastic tub full of Ramen. That's it._

* * *

><p><strong>I am Sailor Ra! (Part 1)<strong>

_Long ago in the days of ancient Egypt there lived a great Pharaoh called Aknamkanon. The Pharaoh possessed a great magical power along with his high priest, his own brother, and t was said together they rivaled the gods themselves. He ruled over his empire with a pure heart and the determination to protect his people. Then, came the beings of the Shadow Realm, a kingdom of pure darkness ruled by its twisted and corrupted monarchs Zorc and the Thief King. They ravaged the lands of Egypt, planning to enslave all of humanity upon Egypt's fall. Even with his great powers the Pharaoh could not defeat the dark forces opposing him, and worse was the betrayal of his own brother who fought on the side of the Shadow Realm. _

_In a fit of desperation Aknamkanon made a plea to the gods to save his people and give them the power to defeat this evil. The gods answered his prayers and bestowed to each of their most loyal and deserving followers their power and their names. The leader of these warriors known as the Senshi, gifted with the might and name of Ra, was the Pharaoh's own son Atemu. Together the Senshi fought the forces of the Shadow Realm and drove them back, but among them the god of chaos Seth had claimed a champion. Seth's champion was forbidden from the order due to the past sins of his god and that he was in fact the heir of the Pharaoh's wicked brother. It was only the love of Ma'at's champion for the one blessed by Seth and his own son's pleas that swayed the Pharaoh's heart. So he was to fight along the Senshi as their guardian and protector, and atone for this sins of the god whose name he carried and his father. _

_The warriors of the gods with their divine power drove back the forces of the Shadow Realm and the empire rejoiced in victory. There was yet more reason to celebrate as the prince announced he would take a consort in his second in command and apprentice within the Senshi. They would be married alongside Ma'at and Seth's champions before the empire. Peace fell across Egypt again and all seemed well as the night of the weddings approached._

_Unbeknownst to them, the Shadow Realm planned a final attack to destroy the Pharaoh and his Senshi once and for all. During the wedding the forces of Zorc and the Thief King attacked and overwhelmed the forces of the Pharaoh with a great and terrible power at their disposal. The battle raged on and the evil powers of the Shadow Realm nearly triumphed, claiming the lives of almost all the Senshi before the battle ended. In the end, the forces of darkness had been weakened greatly, but at a terrible cost. The Prince himself lay dying, his beloved consort already slain. Among the blessed warriors only he and the champion of Seth remained. _

_Out of anguish the Pharaoh used his greatest weapon and the secret of his immense power – The millennium pendant. With it he sealed away the weakened evil along with the souls of his precious son and his friends to someday be released and reborn. This grand magic could not be performed without a cost and the Pharaoh paid it with his own life, smashing the pendant into pieces of a puzzle to be reborn into seven souls so no other could abuse its power in his last moments._

_Now the souls of the Senshi rest within the stars waiting for the day where they may return and banish the great evil of the Shadow Realm once and for-_

"Grandpa!" Shouted Yami at Sugoroku who stopped mid-sentence in his animated telling of his story. Sugoroku stood frozen in place with his arms wide and held over his head as if he'd been waving them around and eyes wide and blinking at his oldest grandson who stood behind the counter, an exasperated look on his face.

Yami pinched the bridge of his nose and pointed at the young child, around eleven who was looking on in a mixture of fascination and possibly fear at the old man's over dramatic telling of the fairytale. "All he asked was, 'what's this picture', not 'will you please scare me with a long and ludicrous fairytale.'"

The little boy in question looked back up at the photographs of the stone tablet covered in hieroglyphs framed high on one of the shelves where one would expect it to be filled with more games and trading cards like the other shelves. The boy blinked up at the old man who suddenly unfroze and burst out into laughter.

"Oh don't be so serious Yami!" He bellowed out mirthfully. "I haven't met a child on earth who doesn't love a good story. You enjoyed it, didn't you boy?" He looked back at the little boy who smiled and nodded shyly, causing the old man to only laugh even more. He gave the boy a pat on the head and pulled out a pack of cards from his pocket. "Just for that, consider these a present!" The boys eyes lit up and he gave the game shop owner a quick hug before running out the store unopened pack clutched tightly between his hands.

"Hey wait!" exclaimed Yami before he realized it was too late and the tiny bell on the door rang with the boy's departure. Sighing he looked at his grandfather and shook his head. "Grandpa, I know that was nice of you but you'll end up going out of business if you just give the merchandise away." He crossed his arms, but smiled fondly all the same at his grandfather, amethyst eyes showing no anger.

Sugoroku just gave a small dismissive gesture as he walked back towards the counter. "I've kept this shop open since most of our current inventory had even been invented yet. It'll be a sign of the end times if I ever let this place sink."

Yami shook his head but kept his smile. He leaned over the counter to look at his grandfather face to face across it. The old man had thrown on his normal style of overalls and a ratty old shirt perfect for the labor of bringing in merchandise and cleaning up the place. The small shop needed more maintenance than one would expect as it seemed to cram as much merchandise as was allowed without it being considered a fire hazard on its walls.

"Yeah you mean when you weren't gallivanting across the desert right?" Yami stated and his grandfather scoffed in response.

"Your grandmother had better business sense than me anyways back then," He stated shaking off the accusation. "Plus you can't argue discovering ancient Egyptian treasures gives one some interesting stories no?" Yami chuckled lightly at that.

"I can't argue with that…by the way when should Yuugi be back? School let out an hour ago didn't it?" Yami asked changing the subject when he noticed it was indeed almost four on the wall clock. Sugoroku cupped his chin and thought.

"He might have gone to the arcade with Jounouchi and his other friends again," Sugoroku concluded. He gave the other a sly look. "We didn't tell him you were coming after all, we wanted to surprise him. Remember?"

The other nodded and looked longingly at the door. "It's been so long since I last saw Aibou, I figured it'd be a nice surprise. I'll probably just as excited as him when I see him again to be honest though." Nostalgia flowed through his voice and an image of a shorter boy in an oversized uniform with the same eyes as him flashed through his head. Their hair was remarkably similar with blond bangs and dark locks that slowly faded to magenta at the tips, except for a few extra blond streaks in Yami's hair that the boy in his mind lacked.

_'It seems like it's been forever. Emails and occasional phone calls definitely aren't enough. I haven't even seen so much as a picture of Aibou in more than two years.'_

"If I had ever thought of calling MY friends something like that they'd have thrown me in the dumpster," he teased his grandson poking his forehead. "Then again I suppose we had a quite a different relationship than you two didn't we?" There was no mistaking the impish tone and waggling brows as he leaned in closer to Yami.

Yami took a moment, oblivious to what his grandfather was implying, before it hit him. He immediately turned red and tried to deny it. "It's not like that at all." He gave a slight shake of his head and narrowed his eyes. There was no way he wanted his grandfather to know how flustered that question had actually made him. "I'm just really excited to see Yuugi-and you. Especially since I get to stay the whole summer vacation here."

_'Liar. That's why you were excited to come here again. You finally wanted to tell him. To take your chance.'_

Yami could feel his face heating up and his voice got just a bit quieter. "I haven't seen either of you since Mr. Sennin and I moved to Tokyo after all."

_'Nothing's been the same since then. There's no more game shop to challenge other kids in and visit grandpa, no more walking home from school with Yuugi. No grandpa or Yuugi at all. I hate it.'_

"That stick in the mud still make you call him that?" Scoffed Sugoroku glaring to no one in particular. It was a well recognized look of frustration that often appeared when the subject of his former son in law was brought up. "He's supposed to be your father."

"Adopted, remember?" Yami tried to brush it off in an apathetic tone. There was a creeping feeling he wasn't doing a good job of it. It never did any good for anyone to mention Yami's guardian. He was grateful to his grandfather for accepting him like a blood grandson, but forcing the issue with his adopted father was..touchy at best.

The mood seemed to shift into a glummer one and Sugoroku looked over his grandson with an understanding expression. Sugoroku loved his grandsons dearly, and it had been painful for one to leave and move so far away. He was happy for the chance to see him again, and as he gave the boy a soft pat on the shoulder he had the feeling this would be a summer for neither of his grandsons to forget. "As if that matters, it's not like you don't fit in just fine." He glanced at the spiked hair and eyes that were eerily similar to the people who he supposedly shared no blood with. He stepped away and went to the stairs, walking up them and leaving Yami alone downstairs in the shop part of the building.

Little did he know how right he was.

_()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()_

Yuugi Mutou sped down the sidewalk panting as if he'd been running for at least several minutes. He was of course in his mandatory school uniform with the jacket wide open, and something wrapped inside the right flap. He maneuvered around the pedestrians of the busy side walk, rushing to try and get to his ultimate destination. His gaze rose and he broke out into a large grin as the Kame Game Shop came into view.

"Almost there, hang on little guy," Yuugi muttered looking down to whatever was wrapped in his jacket. The lump under the cloth wiggled around in response and the teen laughed. "Bet you're getting restless, I've been running with you for like twenty minutes now huh?" Another right and a straight bolt and he was on the steps of the game shop. Without any time to stop he charged through the door that he was glad was the type that pushed open. He stumbled into the shop doubled over to stare at the worn wooden floors.

He remained bent over to catch his breath and kept the bundle held tightly against himself. "I'm home!" he announced sounding more than a little winded. Footsteps padded across the floor and approached him. A pair of boots came into view. They didn't seem like the type his grandfather would usually wear. For one they were leather, and looked far too small.

"Um…sorry I'm late the teacher ask me if I could-" he started slowly as he rose his torso and immediately lost all ability to speak at what he saw. There standing less than a foot away was a face he hadn't laid eyes on in more than two years. It was almost surreal staring at the teen with features so close to his own, and now thinks to his sort of growth spurt, his equal in height to. Neither could ever be considered tall though. For a moment he just stood there dumbly, wondering if he was seeing right.

Yami had never felt more nervous in his life. He tried to keep his expression a neutral happiness as he looked over his old friend. He'd grown so much, not just physically. He seemed to hold himself higher, and was wearing what was clearly a rather tight fitting black shirt and buckle collar along with his school uniform instead of an oversized button up. When had Yuugi become confident enough to wear something like this?

_'I knew you'd grown since I saw you Aibou. No amount of emails and stories from grandpa could have prepared me for how much though. I've missed out.'_

Deep down though, he knew it was still essentially Yuugi. His slightly nerdy little cousin who he'd had to pull from the deep end of the pool when they were five and who he played countless hours of the various games in their grandfather's shop with. Yami couldn't take it anymore, having the boy he'd been so excited to see right in front of him and not being able to say anything. Yami fidgeted his hands a bit, trying to come up with the words. His face tinged a rosy shade and he opened his mouth to speak.

_Hiiiissssss_

Whatever Yami had planned to say had died on his lips right then and there. His gaze shifted down and he finally noticed the small bulge wrapped in Yuugi's jacket shifting around. His face went completely blank when the bundle finally maneuvered itself enough for a tiny head covered in deep royal purple fur to pop out. His cousin cleared his throat likely as a nervous reaction and had the decency to at least look a bit sheepish. That didn't mean he made a single sound or move to explain thought.

"Yuugi?"

"Hai?"

"Is that a cat?" Yami asked bluntly. He pointed at the irate feline with its head poking out of the jacket. The thing had it's ears drawn back and it's fur puffed in aggression. Yuugi was probably lucky the mangy thing wasn't scratching the absolute hell out of him. It had faded blue eyes and an indigo patch of fur that vaguely resembled the sun on its forehead. Odd.

Yuugi did his best to explain and not sound worried. "I uhm found it in the alley on the way back from school. There was a couple of boys throwing rocks at it and I chased them off I mean…I couldn't leave him alone after that."

"Him?"

"I already checked."

"Oh."

Neither really knew what to say. To be honest Yami wasn't quite sure if their grandpa would want the cat in the house. He was tempted to think he didn't either since it had essentially interrupted his moment with Yuugi. Yami had unfortunately always been soft at heart though, and couldn't help but feel sorry for the small creature. He wasn't much bigger than a kitten, and clearly hadn't been properly cleaned or taken care of. He softened and gave a sigh of surrender.

"Hand him over and get some lunch meat from the kitchen, I'll keep him company until you get back," he told Yuugi. His heart gave a tiny flutter at the other's boy's bright grin as he shoved the cat into his waiting arms and before wrapping his arms around Yami. Squishing the cat between their bodies in the process and causing it to give a disgruntled yowl.

"You're the best Yami! I promise we'll sit down and talk so we can catch up after I bring the cat some food." He pulled away just as quickly as he had embraced him and took off running upstairs to the living area. It was an amusing sight and Yami indicated as much as he watched him vanish from sight. Leave it to Yuugi to randomly bring home an alley cat.

His fingers gently ran through the cat's greasy fur. It didn't purr or make any indication it acknowledged the gesture at all. That was a bit strange. The thing was probably a step below feral though. He looked down at the kitty and scratched it between the ears. Still nothing. He tried to increase the pressure just a bit and used two fingers to get a reaction.

"Would you please stop doing that, I find it to be highly degrading," a polite and airy male voice spoke.

The teenager jumped back and looked around the store. He hadn't heard anyone come in or the bell on the door ring. All the customers they'd had earlier had already left and he was certain none of them were lingering. So who said that?

"Who was that?" He asked out loud.

"Down here, the ball of fur you were just stroking."

A cold shiver ran down Yami's spine. There was no way…that was crazy. Right?

He shoved the cat in front of his feet dangling it in the air to inspect it closer. He pressed it's nose against his own and scrutinized it. "It looks like a normal cat." He thought out loud.

_'I must not have gotten enough sleep on the plane ride.'_

"_Its_ name is Mahado." There was no mistaking it this time, it's mouth had actually opened and closed with the words and there was no doubt it had been what they'd come out of. So he had a talking cat. With that new information Yami did the only sensible thing.

He threw the cat across the room.

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 1 (Part 2) Preview: <strong>_Yami, Yuugi, and Sugoroku try to determine what Mahado is and if they can trust the talking feline. After being interrupted by a call from a friend, Yami and Yuugi head for a jewelry store where something sinister is brewing and their lives may depend on if Yami can trust's Mahado's word. _


	2. Episode 1: I am Sailor Ra (Part 2)

_**AN: **Finally! This chapter took me forever to put together and I'm still not sure it'll be one of the best in the story. Also people who've read the first chapter before it was updated Friday might want to now I edited out Yuugi and Yami being cousins and have changed it to where Yami was actually adopted by Yuugi's aunt and uncle. This will be explored later in the story and the new reason behind their physical resemblance will become a minor plot point later on. I received some worried messages about the crap I could get for people who would consider their original relationship too incestuous._

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I own grotesque amounts of debt. _

**_Contest: _**_Next chapter we meet out next Sailor Senshi, and one reviewer had already won! I'll be getting to your request ASAP! Next contest will be announced next chapter.__  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>I Am Sailor Ra! (Part 2)<strong>

All three of the men in the house now stood around the cat sitting gingerly on the counter staring up at them apathetically. The closed sign had been turned around in its proper spot on the door window and the metal shutters used to keep the shop windows safe from thieves when they went upstairs for the night firmly pulled down. They coincidentally were proving effective from keeping anyone from looking in and seeing them basically talking with a cat. Not basically, they were actually talking to a cat.

It was so ridiculous to Yami, but he'd seen the thing talk with his own eyes. It couldn't be anything good, right? This was the sort of things people told their children about in those old folktales about spirits and ogres to scare them at night. He eyed the cat suspiciously. It didn't seem fazed by the heated stare in the slightest and kept a poised and calm air about itself. Again completely ridiculous considering how mangy it seemed.

Yuugi had been giving his old time friend his own look for a while now, and it was finally starting to make the slightly older male nervous. Sugoroku meanwhile was intently leaning close to the cat's face fascinated.

"I can't believe you actually threw him!" Yuugi finally exclaimed at Yami who despite a small flinch seemed to barely react.

"It talked." He said like that explained everything.

"As I said before it has a name and would appreciate you using it," the cat stated. Grandpa Sugoroku's eyes widened as he watched the words come out.

"Incredible!"

"More like troubling," Yami countered. He contemplated the violet furred cat carefully. "These situations don't usually end well in the old wives tales do they? How do we know i-Mahado's not some sort of youkai?"

Yuugi blinked, suddenly in awe. "You mean like a Bakeneko?"

Mahado in turn tilted his head. "I am unaware of what this creature you speak of is, however I can assure you I am not one."

"Uh huh," Yami didn't take his eyes off the fur ball even as he talked to his friend and grandfather. The latter of whom was still examining the thing like it was some sort of gem. Instead of a possibly malicious spirit that either resembled or possessed an alley cat. "How do we know that's the truth or that you aren't something worse, like a kitsune?"

"Can kitsune possess cats?" Asked Yuugi.

He didn't know. They only did that to people in the stories, but apparently anything was possible now. Talking cats tended to open up one's mind quite vastly to possibilities from the supernatural. Now it was looking directly at Yami, like it was the observing him! It unnerved the teen quite a bit. While doing his best to consider the possibilities and remain calm he'd failed to notice just how focused on him the cat really was.

Surprisingly it was Sugoroku who asked the million dollar question. "So then what are you Mahado?"

The cat bowed its head in acknowledgement. Maybe even gratitude. Yami still hadn't quite gotten a read on the creature and their expressions. It was difficult to spot emotions and give away on a cat naturally.

"I am no simple cat I promise you," Mahado stated. His voice was deep, yet gentle and everything was spoken politely. It was so strange contrasting it to the admittedly adorable kitten they saw. "I am the former advisor of the great Aknamkanon." All three men reacted to the name.

'Grandpa's stories…it can't be.'

Yami noticed the other two were at least willing to let him continue uninterrupted, but knowing them as well as he did, he guessed they'd have some questions afterwards. Yami would personally go for if it was telling the truth or somehow knew their connection to the story that name was featured in. If this was some sort of trickster, it was a clever one. The cat seemed to notice he was permitted to continue and went on.

"I have been tasked with the burden of finding his son, the lost prince who has been reborn into this era," he spoke calmly. Yet, there was something in his eyes as he spoke. Nostalgia and the barest hints of grief. "I can feel his soul drifting through this world but I cannot pin point it…however I can also sense something else." He moved from his sitting position and padded across the desk to stare at Yami. "You."

Yami raised a brow and over all seemed unimpressed by the cat's ominous display. "Something about me fascinates you creature?"

Mahado nodded. It might have been much more difficult to take him seriously if not for the serious look he had to him and way he spoke. "You have power, the power of a Senshi. I believe you are meant to be a part of the new Sailor Senshi order. The Senshi are-"

"Divine warriors blessed by the Egyptian gods," Yuugi interrupted in shock. He looked to Yami with a nervous excitement. "Yami's a Senshi. That's so amazing!"

"I'm not a Senshi," said the other with finality. He huffed down at the creature. "I don't know what game you're playing trickster, but reciting my grandfather's folktales won't get you ahead in it."

Mahado was taken aback and looked at Sugoroku for the first time it seemed. "Folktale?"

Sugoroku gave a nod. "Oh yes the story of the Senshi and the Pharaoh. It's an old legend I found out about during one of my excavations in Egypt, even found a few old tablets with it engraved into it. I've told it to my grandsons multiple time." He gave a mock glare. "Not that they always appreciate it."

Mahado broke his apathy and suddenly seemed to become more erratic. "This is fate then! The gods showing their will, you must be one of the Senshi." The cat bowed its head formally. "Please, I beseech you. You must help me find my prince."

"Enough!" Shouted Yami. "What's wrong with you two, isn't it obvious this is some trick? It doesn't seem strange that the only talking cat that as far as we know exists happens to be connected to that fairytale grandpa always tells us?" He was hoping to get them to see and stop them from getting swept up in fantastical stories. One thing obviously hadn't changed while he was gone. These two were hopeless dreamers chasing after the unexplainable without considering the danger.

Yuugi stepped right up to Yami, close and right in his face. Close enough for Yami to feel a bit uncomfortable and the beginnings of his cheeks fading into a blush to start. He braced himself for his cousin to yell at him yet again when whatever moment was about to go down was interrupted by a chipper sound.

Riiiinng, Riiiing, Riiiing.

The noise startled the younger one who frantically grasped into his jacket pocket where the others in the room had noticed the sound coming from. He pulled out a cellphone and looked at them sheepishly. It was a bit embarrassing his big moment had been interrupted.

"Um, it's Anzu," he stated showing them the caller ID. "I forgot, I promised to drive her home today from this big jewelry sale across town. I should really…I mean…I'll leave you to this." He shuffled into the back room quickly to answer his phone before popping his head out of the door frame. "And grandpa, make sure Yami's nice to Mahado and listens while I'm on the phone?"

"Sure thing!" Sugoroku laughed seeing Yami firmly pinching the bridge of his nose.

The shorter teen ducked into the back room leaving the cat and their grandfather mostly alone with Yami. Mahado hadn't moved ever since Yami's little outburst and was actually looking a bit let down. Yami could feel a little remorse for being so assertive in accusing Mahado. Whoever, whatever he was, clearly the cat wasn't without his burdens.

"You truly do not believe me?" He asked quietly.

Yami actually hesitated to answer and his face softened at the small animal. He leaned down closer to its height. "I don't know, it seems too strange. Too coincidental actually."

Sugoroku spoke, "There's many strange things in this world Yami, that doesn't mean we should turn a blind eye to them."

"Nor should you charge towards them," Stated Mahado surprising both the other two men. Yami hadn't expected what he assumed was a compliment from the cat. "I understand, and I am sure you will see in time. Until then, perhaps you could humor me, Yami is it?" The teen nodded slowly.

The cat closed his teal eyes and fell into a peaceful stillness. He flicked his slim tail back and forth before sweeping it around himself across the counter. The sun spot on his forehead glowed with a pale white light and wherever the tale swept a trail of gold light followed. The cat's eyes fluttered to reopen and it lifted its tale up to reveal a small token. Both the humans knew it hadn't been there before. There wasn't any place the cat could have hidden it until now either.

Yami reached out for it. The very tips of his fingers touched the glimmering gold token before he pulled away. Something asking to a spark danced up his arm and he wasn't quite sure he liked it. A warm hand appeared on his arm, and Yami knew it was Sugoroku's. A small comfort. Gathering his courage he reached again and this time swiftly snatched the cat's token. He ignored the feeling of something buzzing just beneath his skin and looked at the small item.

A pin? Made of what looked like sold gold, but felt like something much more precious. Completely smooth and flawless except for the eye of Horus protruding in the middle. A symbol of the Pharaohs' and royals of ancient Egypt. It felt odd between his fingertips. Without thinking he opened the pink and stuck the sharp piece onto his grey jacket collar. He pushed the back into place and stuck it on his collar.

"Well doesn't that look nice?" Sugoroku's outburst seemed to break whatever mental spell Yami had fallen under leaving him very aware he had just stuck what might be a cursed item from an evil spirit onto his clothing. Wasn't he supposed to be the rationale one in this family? Yami couldn't bring himself to speak though, just stare dumbfounded at his own actions and occasionally daring to glance at a very smug cat.

Then before anything could be said to further make Yami question his sanity Yuugi rushed back in with his keys in hand. "Sorry! I have to go, Anzu's waiting for me and she really doesn't have any one else who can give her a ride." He rushed for the door obviously having already kept his friend waiting.

"Yuugi wait!" said Yami. He caught the boys attention at he stopped dead in his tracks to look back at Yami. "I, think I'll go with you." He needed to get away from talking cats for a while. He was certain Mahado didn't intend to physically harm them at least, and it's not like grandpa could get even crazier than he already was from talking to the cat creature. After a moment of his legs feeling like they had cinderblocks attached he pulled himself forward and stumbled after Yuugi through the door of the shop.

"Millennium Prism Power."

"What?" It was actually Yuugi who responded to the random statement from the cat.

"The phrase he needs, I suspect he may have use for it sooner than he thinks," Mahado said. The feline knew something, but clearly wasn't privy on sharing. "Remember it, for when trouble comes your way, and when things are at their worst, remember millennium crown magic."

"Uhm okay," Yuugi awkwardly while Yami simply stood in the doorway not daring to look back at Mahado. "I guess we should say thanks?"

"You definitely shall later," the cat sounded so sure of its foreshadowing.

"C'mon your friends waiting," Yami simply said pulling Yuugi forward and out of the shop. The door slammed on the way out and the click of them locking the door behind them echoed through the store. Both its left over inhabitants stared at the once occupied space.

"Forgive my grandson," sighed Sugoroku leaning on the counter. "Yami has always been the more protective on in the family."

The cat made no motion what so ever. "No worries, by the time they get back I have a feeling my job will become much easier."

"Well that just proves how little you know about my grandchildren."

_()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()_

Back in the car Yami and Yuugi were speeding down the street with the shop fading away into the distance. Domino was an urban area through and through, so it took little time for the small family run game shop to vanish into the sea of steel and concrete. Yami for the most part was silent and stared at the window. His face was blank, but his mind was anything but that. He subconsciously stroked the pin, enjoying the feel of the strangely warm metal.

Had it really been a good idea to leave grandpa behind with that creature? He still wasn't nearly as convinced as his friend and grandfatherly figure about the entire 'ripped from your fairytale' story it gave. What game could it be playing though? Yami would figure it out, he was good with games after all. Phenomenal he'd say. Not just literal games you'd find in the shop either, things like this that involved wits and effort outside of childish playing, and he could do that easily. The only person he'd ever played a game with and felt a challenge was currently driving the red mini cooper they were both seated in. Mahado wasn't going to win, and Yami would never concede.

"You've been so quiet," Yuugi's cheerful voice broke the mantra of cars zooming by that had been filling the background. "Have you even noticed how long we've been driving, eh, mou hitori no boku?" It was a light hearted tease, not uncommon from him. Yet, it was enough to completely change Yami's focus.

He smiled at the other and did his best to ignore the nervous butterflies. Yuugi was good at making people smile, it was just who he was. "You know that nickname never really fit, it's not like I'm actually you."

Yuugi laughed. He had to keep his eyes on the road but directed his comment back at Yami easily all the same. "No, but remember how everyone used to ask if we were brothers when we were younger? You looked like you were the long lost Mutou. Plus, it just feels like you're apart of me." He gave a slight pause at that last comment. Yami stiffened and looked at the other expectantly.

"You're my best friend Yami, the day auntie and uncle brought you home was the best day of my life," Yuugi's words were honest. They always were. Yami never doubted that. Even as small children Yuugi had been the angelic good behaved child who listened to the adults and done as he was told…Yami not so much.

"Even with all the trouble I got you in?" The teen gave a sly smirk and winked.

"The time with Ushio might have been a bit too much," he admitted snickering. "There were rocks and garbage in the leaf pile after all."

"He was a bully, and he cheated," The supposedly older one pouted childishly. "If he hadn't been such a sore loser I wouldn't have had to penalize him."

"Now why does that sound so familiar?"

Yami busted out laughing in his seat along with Yuugi. Yami could admit he'd been a little terror when he was younger, he'd scared a lot of people off back then. A few people had stuck around him in Yuugi, willing to get past Yuugi's scary friend and even befriend Yami themselves. It didn't mean there wasn't any guilt at the things his over protective streak might have robbed Yuugi of when they were children.

"So you done brooding about talking cats now huh?" The boy in the driver's seat sounding way to please. A thought dawned on Yami, and he blinked in astonishment.

"You were distracting me!"

"You were too worried! It was making me nervous, I just wanted to see if I could get your mind off things for a while." In spite of his best attempts Yuugi game off as less innocent and more proud about throwing Yami off of his senses the way he shrugged and ran his fingers through his soft spikes. Wait.

At that moment Yami realized he'd failed to notice they'd stopped moving. He looked out the car windows to see a small but luxurious looking large shop two equally designer looking boutiques. It had two floors and even crystal windows high up on the walls adding to the elegance of it. It was also absolutely swarming with people piling into the store some even violently pushing to make their way in. A large sign advertising the sale hung in the front window partially blocked by the people passing by. He'd completely lost his sense of his surroundings.

"Let's go find Anzu! If we even can in this mess, "Yuugi laughed reaching over and giving the other a quick embrace that he was sure was meant to add insult to injury. It did just the opposite, and suddenly Yami found himself in much higher spirits completely forgetting of spirits and talking cats.

'Only Yuugi.'

They emerged from the car and rushed out onto the crowded sidewalk. It was a complete mess of bodies and people bumping into everyone. The two boys tried maneuver through the crowd just to get into the store. Yami managed not to nock into one too badly and they spotted the store entrance a couple of meters ahead. Yami looked back at Yuugi to make a comment at the crowd when he felt himself run into something firm.

"Sorry," Yami apologized quickly to the person he'd run into. He faced them to see it was a rather talk man with brunette hair. The man narrowed his icy blue eyes at the teen. All he gave was a glance over the boy before scoffing and turning to walk away without a word.

"Didn't have to be a jerk about it," Yami muttered under his breath. Yuugi pushed his way through the people separating them and rejoined Yami. The two continued on their way and actually made it to the store entrance.

Making their way into the store had been a pain. The two slender teens hadn't stood much of a chance against the crowd that was far too big, even for such a large store to be crammed into the store pushing and shoving them around. Especially a bigger man who had seemed perfectly content strong arming two teenage boys out of his way for a watch on sale for 4,000 yen. That was impressive though, especially considering he was certain it was some expensive brand his f-adopted father wore. In fact that seemed to be the theme.

Expensive high class jewelry being sold for virtually nothing, and certainly nowhere near a large enough margin for any real profit. Were they going out of business here? Whatever it was it had the customers pawing at the pristine glass cases buying left and right and putting on their new designer jewelry almost immediately. Everyone had on jewelry when he looked closely. Eager to try on their new buys no doubt. Yami never quite understood the appeal of expensive stuff like this. He preferred the buckle style accessories like Yuugi wore.

They managed to make their way through the store and finally spotted Anzu staring over one of the cases. A sales woman stood there with bright red hair showing off a ring to Anzu. It was solid gold with a diamond roughly the size of her thumbnail. It looked like she'd come here after school, still in the pale pink jacket and blue skirt typical of the girls uniform.

"Anzu!" Yuugi called as they walked up to the brunette. Bright blue eyes turned away from the ring to look over at the two boys approaching her. She smiled, but looked surprised when she noticed Yami.

"Hey Yuugi," she greeted friendly. "Oh and you to of course Yami! When did you get back in town?"

Yami returned her smile and gave her a small wave. "Hey to you to Anzu, and just this morning. I'm staying for the entire summer. School in Tokyo let out a week ago already, so I thought it'd be a nice surprise for after Aibou's last day of school."

"Aw how sweet!" she gushed, and Yami did his best to brush it off with a nervous chuckle. Anzu was the type of girl who always knew more than you thought she did. So he wasn't going to press his luck at what exactly she'd meant by that.

"I know," Yuugi commented happily. He motioned around the store. "So are you ready to go? We can wait a few minutes before we take you home, we can't bring you over to hang out today though. Grandpa's busy with store inventory and wants our help."

It wouldn't technically be a lie if Mahado could be counted as inventory. Since that wasn't the case, Yami just stood impressed at his cousin's bold faced lie. He caught the momentary flash of guilt in the other's eyes though. It wasn't like they could tell her Yuugi brought home a magical talking cat that was claiming Yami was a mystical Egyptian warrior though.

Anzu shook her head. "Are you kidding? This place has turned into a mad house. I'm ready to leave." Yami had to agree there. A few of the customers were calming down enough where it looked like they'd be able to leave without any problems. They looked a bit sluggish actually. Strange. Yami started paying closer attention to the now weary looking people in the store when a high pitched voice broke through.

"My dear you never tried on the ring I showed you!" The saleswoman Anzu had been speaking to before proclaimed.

Anzu gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, there's just no way I could afford something like that. I don't really see the point."

"Not even if it's only 1500 yen?" she said. There was something sly about her, like the cat who caught the canary. Yami was fairly certain something was off about her, about the store in general. The sooner they were out the better.

"1500?!" she said excitedly taking the piece offered to her and trying it on. "But it looks like real diamonds."

"It is real," the saleswoman assured. Her face twisted into a sinister grin as it slipped onto Anzu's finger. "It's a very special sale my dear."

"Wow," Anzu looked amazed at the beautiful jewelry being offered to her for practically nothing.

If he'd had a gut feeling before it was pure instinct now. Something was very wrong. The look on the sale's woman's face wasn't comforting in the least. As he continued to observe the store he saw the same man who had muscled past him and Yuugi leaning on one of the cases for support. His breaths were heavy and he looked paler. His arm suddenly slipped and he crashed onto the floor. Yami turned to Yuugi and it seemed like he wasn't the only one to notice the change. Yuugi looked on stunned and uneasy. He elbowed Yami and whispered quietly to his friend.

"Something's wrong," he whispered. "Everyone's getting sick or something, and it feels…"

He knew what he meant. There was a chill of something in the air. Eerie and draining, like the feeling one got when going into a cemetery. With a nod Yami grabbed Anzu's arm gently. "Anzu I think we should go. We really need to get back to help grandpa."

"But Yami," she said her voice much quieter than a moment ago. "I haven't paid for it yet." Her hand with the ring on fell to the glass case in front of her for support and she wobbled on her feet.

"Anzu!" said Yami reaching to help her stay upright when a hand grabbed his thing wrist firmly in its grasp. He looked to see the saleswoman who'd handed her the ring grinning in a way he could only call sadistic. For a petite woman she was remarkably strong holding him in place even when he tried to pull from her grasp.

"Hey let him go!" Yuugi shouted at her right before Anzu collapsed onto the red carpet floor. He gasped and kneeled down beside his friend. He looked up at Yami still in her clutches fearfully.

The sales woman tightened her grip on the boy's wrist more and more. Pain began to creep through his arm and he flinched and whimpered involuntarily at it. Yami continued to try to pull away but it only made her seem to squeeze tighter and it was beginning to feel like she'd sprain or break the bone.

"None of you are going anywhere," she said. Her voice suddenly sounded completely different as if she'd gargled rocks. Shrill and raspy, and inhuman. Her face twisted into a look of pure bloodlust and her features started to shift to a faded and wrinkled complexion with whites in her eyes shifting to black and the irises as gold as the jewelry in the store. Both boys looked in horror at her. "Soon the Shadow Realm shall feed off your precious life energies and the Thief King will enslave your pitiful kind."

She full transformed, a patch of raw red flesh on her forehead, dull brown hair and claws adorning her wrinkled impossibly long hands. The dress she'd been wearing replaces by a gown so dark and flowing it appeared to be made of pure shadows. Her grin became all the more ominous now filled with large fangs that were perfect for ripping flesh. She cackled into a fit of insane laughter tightening the grip even further.

Yami screamed out in pain this time unable to stop himself. Yuugi called his name worried and terrified for his friend, but unable to drop Anzu to help. "Yuugi run!" Yami shouted through his screams of agony. He was trapped, with no way out, but Yuugi could get away possibly. He couldn't let him get hurt, or killed as it increasingly seemed more likely.

"No!" He shouted defiantly shaking his head. "I won't leave you and Anzu!" Damn it, did he have to be so selfless all the time? Couldn't he see he was going to get hurt?

The creature laughed hysterically throwing her head back. "Aw, how sweet! Don't worry he won't suffer too long!" With that and a wave of her free hand the disoriented customers sprung to life.

Their eyes were all blank and filled with nothing resembling awareness as they rose up and gurgled strange noises. Their bodies moved unnatural like you saw zombies stumble around in the movies. A young girl in a school uniform dived down grabbing Yuugi's arm and pulling him up. He yelped and another set of hands, from the girl's mother it looked like, grabbed his other arm and pulled him into the crowd of zombified customers. Yuugi struggled as best he could to no avail kicking and screaming to shake their grasps.

"Yuugi no!" Yami screamed. The pain in his wrist as her claws began to draw blood was nothing to the sight of Yuugi being dragged away to be torn apart or be drained of his life and mind. He glanced from him and to Anzu and the other customers still on the ground slowly dying from their cursed jewelry. There was nothing he could do. He felt so helpless tears streaked down his face and his shook while the creature holding him just continued to express its joy and laugh. "Aibou!" He shouted in grief, fear, and agony all in one pained scream.

_Millennium prism power…_

Mahado's voice echoed through Yami's mind and his eyes went wide. He'd said to use it if he was in trouble right. His glanced at the pin on his jacket collar wondering if it really could help. The sounds of Yuugi's screams of struggling, the pain in his wrist, and the sight of so many people dying because of the monster told him one thing. It was worth a shot.

"Millennium prism power!"

The creature flinched back in shock as the boy suddenly began to iridescently glow and fled back releasing him from her grip as if being near the light burned her. The zombified customers were stuck gaping blankly as their mistress lost her concentration and Yuugi finally broke away running back to where he'd been dragged away from Anzu and Yami, all while watching Yami in complete utter awe.

Golden ribbons of energy emerged around him solidifying into a plain Egyptian robes ending above his knees before more ribbons emerged at once all fleeting to different parts of his body. The ones on his arms and legs solidifying into golden bands on his biceps and forearms and going up his calves. More draped around his neck, waist, and shoulders creating a three ring belt with a blue cloth hanging below it, choker, and shoulder draping made of the same gold material as he others. The final ribbons wrapped around his feet and forehead creating slipper the same colors as his beige robes and a golden crown inscribed with the eye of Horus and having two wings peak out from behind his blond bangs. A flowing violet cape former around his shoulders an extended to reach just above his ankles. His glow faded away and he stood fully transformed.

Looking down at his own new additions in shock not even noticing the stare Yuugi gave behind him.

"Wow," Yuugi muttered under his breath at Yami's new look. "Yami really is a Senshi."

The moment of peace was broken again by the creature regaining her composure to give Yami and enraged glare. "Sailor Ra, retched protector of the Pharaoh's bloodline!" It was clearly directed at Yami who looked back at her with a fierce stare. She glowered at her minions. "Attack! Rip the little on to shreds, I will end this one!"

Yami had no time to react as she lunged at him with her vile claws out screeching like a wild animal. Yami did the only thing he could think of and dodged the attack by jumping back out of the way. Yuugi meanwhile backed away from the approaching minions coming after him on their mistresses' orders. The two met back to back in the middle neither sure what to do.

As impressive as his transformation was he still didn't have a way to fight off the monster and her brainwashed customers. As she landed in the spot she'd tried to pounce Yami in she snarled and raised her hand. It began to stretch like crinkled elastic aiming right for Yami and Yuugi as on the other side the minions were only a few meters away.

_'__So much for a powerful magical protector.'_

The creature yowled in pain and the minions stopped dead in their tracks as two blurs of bright blue appeared piercing the monster's hand and landing between the two boys and the crowd. Whatever they were busted into explosions of white light, throwing the creature far back. The light thrown at the crowd faded to reveal all of the brainwashed people unconscious and unharmed by the strange light. Both boys stood stunned and looked around.

"Yami did you do that?" Yuugi turned to the other. Yami shook his head in response. "Then who did?"

"Sailor Ra!" A deep male voice called. The two boys turned to look at one of the crystal windows above the second floor to see an unknown man standing there.

His face was half covered by a decorative golden mask hiding his identity. A black sleeveless coat with raised, sharp shoulder flowed in the wind around him over a simple black long sleeved shirt and a pair of black leather pants with thick black boots. Belt buckles wrapped up his arms and around his ankles. A scepter was strapped to his waist with the same eye of Horus as on Yami's crown on the ball and wings flaring out on the sides. In his hand he held a shining rose with ethereal blue petals.

"Who are you?" was all Yami could think to say.

"I am Seth a guardian and an ally," he stated looking straight at the Senshi. "Sailor Ra you must look within yourself and fight Morga, or else all is lost." Yami looked over at the creature slowly starting to recover and stand again ripping the rose out of her palm.

Yuugi nodded at Yami with a smile. "You can do it, remember what Mahado told you when we left the shop?"

At that, Yami's fingertips went to press against his crown. This stranger for some reason believed in him, and so did Yuugi. Anzu, the customers hurt by this creature, Morga the man called it, were counting on him. A fierce look in his eyes Yami removed the crown from his head. Not fully sure what Mahado had meant for him to do with the phrase, he acted on his best guess and held the crown up.

_'__Please do something useful.'_

"Millennium crown magic!" he shouted and instantly the crown gave a golden glow lighting up the entire store as it formed into a disk of light. The creature gasp and its eyes widened in terror before it lunged at Yami for a second time bringing back its claws to strike. Yami flung the disk straight at the monster coming towards him and it hit straight into her abdomen consuming her into an explosion of energy.

Morga screamed in agony as it flashed around her before fading away and the crown reappeared on Yami's head. Shaking in place she glare at Yami. "I shall return." She struggled to say as her body slowly crumbled to dust on the ground beneath her. Misty wisps flowed from where she once stood flying into the unconscious customers all around the store.

"Yami you did it!" Yuugi declared embracing the other. Yami returned the embrace tightly. It had been close. So close to dying, so close to losing the most important person in the world to him He buried his face into his similar colored hair for a moment. Content to revel in the fact that they were both still alive. He lifted his head only to look where the stranger who'd saved them stood, but kept his arms firmly around Yuugi.

"Thank you, Seth," He said to the man.

Something akin to a smirk appeared on his features. "Let us not hope you will need constant saving. This creature is only the first of many that will fight you. You cannot afford to be weak." Now that he looked more closely the more serious figure the man imposed was obvious to Yami.

"Trust me, I won't be," he declared to the other who gave an amused look.

"Prove it," he challenged before turning to leap out the windowsill he stood in and vanishing from sight. Yami stared at the spot for a moment. For now at least, he had Seth as an ally, even if it was begrudging one.

"You think you can trust him?" Yuugi asked. Yami was suddenly reminded just how close he was holding the other to himself. His felt heat in his cheeks before he let his arms fall away to wrap around himself.

"I think so," he answered flippantly. He shook off his thoughts about the embrace with his friend. There were more important things at hand than his crush.

The groans and whimpers of the customer's slowly waking echoed throughout the store. Yami's Senshi clothes suddenly vanished and his normal one reappeared. Yuugi ran to Anzu as she slowly awoke and Yami watched from where he stood. Anzu seemed fine as she sat up and began questioning Yuugi on what had happened. Yami drowned out the conversation and gripped the pin on his collar.

Mahado was telling the truth. Was that a good thing though, or did it just mean life was about to get much harder for him and everyone he cared for?

_()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()_

In the dark chambers a dark skinned man with a scar underneath his eye sat atop a golden thrown. Red robes draped over him and nothing more than a dark kilt like clothing piece over his lower half. His faded white hair cascaded over his shoulder and his pale periwinkle eyes stared intently at his servant before him.

The other man with long, pale lavender hair kneeled before him. Clad in a red suit and with an eye patch over one eye.

The room surrounding them was reminiscent of a throne room one might have found in the ancient civilizations. It was twisted by darkness however. The walls and the floors black marble and covered in violate pulsing veins, with twisted statues shaped like suffering and screaming people randomly protruding from it. Behind the golden throne that sat several meters high in what looked like a portal of pure dark energy a giant eye stared wide open.

"You have failed me Pegasus," stated the man on the thrown to the one kneeling. "Morga was unable to gather the energy we need."

Pegasus didn't dare look up, and did his best to wipe away his fearful expression for a more confident relaxed one. "A minor setback, Morga was a nothing but a pathetic grunt anyways." He game a contemplative 'hmm'. "No matter I will come up with another plan to gather our energy. I will not fail this time."

When no response came he dared to look up and saw the blank expression on the man's face as he looked down at him. "You had better not, I will not accept repeated failures. Now out of my sight."

Pegasus nodded and exited the throne room. The giant onyx doors slammed behind him as he stepped into the hall. Once he was gone the man on the throne let his face slip into a glare. He rested his elbow on the armrest of the throne and his face to his fist.

"Sailor Ra, huh?" he spat venomously. "Well my dear, in the name of the Shadow Realm prepare to be defeated."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode 2 Preview: <strong>A fight between Yami and Yuugi puts a strain on their relationship, meanwhile Yuugi's friend Ryou is carrying a USB that potentially is tainted in dark magic. Can someone so polite and kind really be an agent of the Shadow Realm? It's up to Yami and Mahado to find out.  
><em>


	3. Episode 2: Kindly Ryou, Friend or Foe

_**AN: **Dear god finally! It took me forever to type this up, and would have taken longer if I hadn't actually decided to cut about three scenes out. So I'm going to go ahead and warn you to start expecting chapters around this length from hear on out. Also the story is starting to get a bit more mature, things like violent combat, mature language in the case of some characters and darker themes are going to happen. If it gets too bad I'll up the rating, but for now it's nothing that you'd wouldn't see in most shonen manga. Also there's now (*)'s to explain background info of references in the fic at the bottom of the page. _

_**Contest: **The next Senshi will be revealed in the next chapter this time, and they'll be our stories equivalent of Sailor Mars. So guess which Yugioh character you think fits and win a free one shot!  
><em>

_**Disclaimer: **I don't even own the computer I'm typing this on._

* * *

><p><strong>Kindly Ryou, Friend or Foe?<strong>

A single boy with long white hair sat in the otherwise empty school library typing away at one of the several computers circled around a wooden beam in the center of the room. The various sections of books were stacked on shelves against the back wall and rows upon rows to the right half of the room while the left acted as the computer lab, study area, and check out. The boy sat with his back to the right soft brown eyes trained on whatever work he had before him.

A pale finger reached for the enter key and a download bar appeared on the screen. With a sigh of relief he leaned back in the chair and relaxed.

"Now I just have to wait for it to finish," He echoed his thoughts out loud. He kept his eyes on the slowly filling download bar until a bright complete flashed on screen. He smiled as he hovered over the power button before pausing in consideration. He brought his fingers to the keyboard again and started the program with a few strokes. "I should make sure it actually works before I leave."

With one final click the screen went completely black. "Huh?!" He exclaimed and began to randomly press keys to try and undo whatever had just happened. A strange symbol flashed on the screen, a glowing red eye. The temperature in the room dropped a good ten degrees and the boy brought his arms up to wrap around himself. He never turned away from the eye on screen and after a few moments it actually blinked. He let out a startled gasp when the eye completely vanished symbols flashing on the screen in bright rapid flashes.

"Hieroglyphs?" He muttered to himself in recognition. He moved an alabaster hand for the keys.

"Bakura Ryou!" Somebody yelled from behind. A man who looked like he'd stepped straight out of ancient Egypt with a golden crown and everything walked through the library straight towards the teenager known as Ryou. He noticed the symbols on the computer and flashed Ryou a righteous glare. "So we were right." He approached him in sure strides, and Ryou began to feel nervous at the clear aggression in his stance.

"Show you're true self, whatever you are."

Ryou's frowned at the strange man. He seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He backed into his chair more, not really sure what to do when the man was only a few feet away from him. He leaned too far back and it ended with him tipping the chair over and falling out. Still he drew closer and Ryou started the crawl backwards to get some distance between them. "My what? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Ya-I mean Sailor Ra!" shouted a voice he recognized instantly. Ryou's friend Yuugi was running towards them, a strange cat sprinting at his side. "It's not him!" He called out urgently to the man in the strange uniform.

"It's the teacher!" A third male Ryou couldn't see shouted.

The man approaching him was distracted by the outbursts clearly and had turned his attention away from Ryou long enough for him to get up and start running. He didn't manage to get three steps when a sharp pain tore through his arm like a swift lightning strike. Something warm and trickled down his arm and there was a sickening metallic smell permeating the air. He screamed after he saw what looked like a spike sticking out of his bicep and the blood running down it. He stood frozen and face even paler than normal, the first person he suspected was the man who'd been threatening him, until he saw him looking just as confused as he was. A series of twisted cackles at the library entrance revealed the identity of the attacker.

A woman he recognized as a teacher with thick rimmed rectangular glasses, in an almost stereotypical get up of a button up blouse and a grey pencil skin with her hair pulled back into a bun. She looked normal, aside from the pure red skin of her right hand and her nails shaped like sharp spikes. The malicious expression on her face turned towards Ryou.

"Sorry you had to get involved in this dear," she sighed shaking her head in a mockery of regret. "But I'm afraid I just can't let you live now, you...OR ANY OF YOU!" Her voice contorted to a more deep monstrous one and Ryou could only watch as another spike fired from the monster's hand right towards him.

_()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()_

_**The Day before Yesterday...**_

Yami and Yuugi slammed the door to the game shop open in their rush to get back to Mahado. Both boys were panting from the long sprint they'd just done and barely had stepped foot inside the store before they had to catch their breath. Yami was the first to look up at the cat sitting casually on the front counter staring down at an open book. Yami vaguely suspected Sugoroku who was currently nowhere to be seen had provided it. The cat raised his eyes to the two boys standing there.

"I take it you needed the pin after all?" Mahado questioned. Sounding quite pleased with himself as he did. The teenagers didn't appreciate his humor and responded with a growl from Yami and a glare from Yuugi. Mahado rolled his eyes. "I tried to warn you, did I not?"

They ceased with their attitude and walked up closer to the cat. Yami's wrist came into view and the small blood leaking through a piece of blue cloth wrapped around it. A quick observation revealed it to be a piece of sleeve torn from Yuugi's jacket. It wasn't a good long term solution to whatever injury the teen had sustained, but a clever enough temporary one. From what Mahado could tell it was the only notable wound on either of them.

Mahado tsk'd at the two. "Before we discuss anything, let's wrap that wrist properly. It won't do for the champion of the sun to die of infection will it?"

There did seem to be any objections. Yuugi lead Yami upstairs by placing a hand gently on the back of his shoulder. The touch helped the other relax and lose the tension in his upper body, which had gradually started to increase as the adrenaline from his fight wore off. Mahado trotted behind them upstairs to the living are of the building. They made their way to the guest room being occupied by Yami once they'd firmly wrapped his wrist in proper bandage doused with disinfecting balm. They took up council in the plain bedroom and sat together on the crisp white sheets of the twin bed across from the wooden dresser. Yuugi and Yami sat against the back wall on the mattress side by side, shoulder's nearly touching, and Mahado took his place in front of them.

"So, since you finally seem ready to listen ask away," Mahado stated. The guardian still was a bit tense. He might have expected something to happen and provide Yami with the wakeup call he needed, but he'd hoped it would be before any injuries could occur. He wasn't going to risk letting him go in blindly from this point on. Now that he was ready to listen and accept his fate the young man and his life were Mahado's responsibility.

"We know our grandfather's story," said Yami. "But we can't be sure how much is true unless we hear your version." They'd been identical so far, but time and translation could easily wear away at the truth. It was the best course of action to decide what they actually knew already before seeking new information.

Mahado didn't hesitate to speak. "The story is a vague version, but on the whole accurate. I can provide more specific details, especially in terms of what you will be capable of as a Senshi."

The mattress dipped as Yuugi shifted in place. "So the creature that attacked us really was from the Shadow Realm?"

"Most Likely." Hearing the obvious confirmed didn't make the uneasy feeling shared by the two fade. They'd been attacked by an otherworldly monster that had injured Yami and people had almost died, including Yuugi.

_'If anything had happened...'_ Yami thought darkly to himself.

"She said they wanted people's life energy," Yuugi explained recalling Morga's terrifying words. "Why?"

Mahado thought, and brought a paw up to his chin. "If I had to guess I would say either to simply increase their power, or worse to try and revive Zorc." The last part was spoken more ominously and worry bloomed in his teal eyes. "No doubt the damn thief is behind this in some way."

Zorc and the Thief King, the dark monarchs of the Shadow Realm who destroyed the previous Senshi. Now they wanted to destroy Yami, and possibly everyone he cared about. Their goal wanted to completely enslave humanity if he remembered that part of the story correctly. If all of the creatures who dwelled there were like Morga, and even stronger as was most likely, then they had the power to accomplish it if they weren't stopped. Yami knew he couldn't sit back if it meant people would be hurt. Especially if it was his duty to help.

"Then I guess it's up to me to stop them," Yami said. Along with the other Senshi and this missing prince Mahado were looking for.

Yuugi visibly brightened and Mahado let his face fall into a soft smile. The feline chuckled. "So you really have come around, are you ready to face your destiny?"

"I don't know," Yami admitted. "But I can't let the Shadow Realm and its monsters go around hurting people, no matter what."

Yuugi's bright voice broke the heaviness of the moment. "You'll have us to help along the way." He pat Mahado's head for emphasis. "I know you can do it."

"Indeed," the cat agreed bemusedly. The boy certainly was optimistic. He hoped it stayed that way. They'd need a light in the plethora of darkness quickly approaching them. "With time we will discover the secrets to your gifts as a Senshi, and once we find the Prince and the others the tides will shift in our favor without question."

Yami crossed his arms. "Thank you, both of you." His voice dropped to a more foreboding tone. There was an instinctual feeling this wasn't going to go down well. "But Yuugi can't be involved."

There wasn't a long wait for a reaction from the other boy. Yuugi snapped his head in the other's direction and looked on in surprise.

"What do you mean I can't be involved?" The teen huffed his chest and balled his fists, leaning closer to Yami who refused to face him directly. His eyes narrowed at him. "I won't sit back the entire summer while you put yourself in danger! I can help, maybe not as much as a Senshi could, but I could still-"

"No!" Shouted Yami. Both boys went quiet. Yami knew it had likely hurt the other to yell at him and dismiss him like that, but it was necessary. "You're not getting involved in this and that's final. Just trust me on this Aibou."

Yuugi's body shook and he took in a breath. "You can't call me that when you're sitting here ordering me around like a child! Partners are supposed to be equal, and have respect, but you're just shutting me down for no good reason!" Yami yelling at Yuugi had been surprising, but Yuugi shouting at Yami in anger like this was so much worse. Yami was completely thrown off his guard from the normally cheerful boy's anger. He could practically feel Amethyst eyes boring into the side of his head.

Yuugi waited for the other to say something, or apologize. Yami stayed firmly in place not uttering a sound. Yuugi felt his anger growing the longer they went on in silence. This wasn't fair to him, but Yami just didn't seem to care at all. He couldn't take it anymore.

Yuugi stood up, maneuvering off the bed around Mahado and Yami. The springs shot up when his weight left the bed and Yami immediately missed the weight next to him. There was a moment where he almost faltered and asked his friend to come back, but he knew he couldn't. It was better for Yuugi to be mad at him than the alternative. Yuugi stormed to the doorway and gripped the doorknob tightly in his slender hand.

"Just because I'm not some magical warrior doesn't mean I'm weak," he growled keeping his back to them. "I'm not that small kid you had to scare bullies away from anymore!" He slammed it behind him, heavy footsteps echoing back into the room.

Yami watched his best friend storm off and leave without so much as saying a word, and it hurt. His shoulders hunched and his faces fell. It wasn't about being weak, it was about Yami promising to protect Yuugi and keeping that promise.

Meanwhile the violet feline had remained quiet during the whole ordeal watching on. It was baffling to him. Mahado stared at the door for a moment before moving across the bed and next to Yami. His tail swayed occasionally brushing against the other.

"Is there a reason you were so adamant about him not helping?" Mahado asked. Yami didn't answer. His arms were still crossed, but less in the defiant gesture it had started out as and more like a protective one now. Like his arms were shielding him from some invisible threat. Mahado dared to lean closer and tilt his head up at the teenager.

"Clearly the two of you are important to each other. Doesn't that make him an ideal ally?" He tried to be logical about it. Thinking that would be more likely to convince Yami than trying to get him to consider Yuugi's feelings about the subject.

"It's because he's important to me," Yami answered in barely a whisper. "At the jewelry store, the monster, she could control the people under her spell. They attacked Yuugi. If I hadn't transformed when I did he could have been hurt." Yami swallowed and forced himself to say the next part. "Or even killed."

Mahado nodded in understanding. That didn't mean he necessarily agreed with Yami, but chastising the boy when he was this let down would help no one. Despite his grief being his own product Yami obviously needed comfort more than scolding. That could come later. Plus, it was at least a noble sentiment to desire to keep the ones you loved safe. From what he was seeing so far, Ra had chosen well.

He considered how to comfort the boy from what he remembered about his own humanity. He put his head against the other, rubbing his furry face against his side and making a deep rumbling noise. The gesture startled the teen out of his depression, just barely.

"Mahado," he started question, "are you purring?"

"Were you not trying to get me to do this earlier?"

"Well yes," Yami admitted. He distinctly remembered the other saying he found his actions degrading however.

"Then do not question it," Mahado warned. "Nor should you expect this to occur often, this is a charity and nothing else. Now scratch my ears and we can discuss what lies in store for you."

The teen's smile returned as he reached out and placed his fingers across the cat's scalp. He rubbed them back and forth scratching lightly. The small animal purred louder and Yami had to admit it was adorable. The fact that he usually talked in a deep, serious voice made it kind of strange. He was happy for the consideration though. They sat there close to each other talking of ancient warriors and magic up until late that night when neither could keep their eyes open any longer. They fell asleep with Yami flat on his back wrapped tightly under the covers and Mahado curled on top of his chest, rising and falling with his charges breaths.

That mourning, Yami awoke feeling no better than he had the night before. His fight with Yuugi had been really bad, and he'd only been here for a day. Then again, quite a lot had happened in that day. Not wanting to think about this before he'd even had any tea or breakfast he pulled the covers off and stepped out in the same clothes he'd worn yesterday.

_'Must have forgot to change before bed.'_

He scooped Mahado up into his arms. The cat stretched his mouth in a large yawn, but didn't protest further. He laid content in the teenager's arms his eyelids drooped half closed. Yami carried the cat out of the room and into the kitchen to get them both some breakfast. Noticing the light in the windows, or lack of, he determined it was still pretty early. If he was lucky, Yuugi wouldn't be up yet and they could avoid an awkward encounter. He couldn't imagine Yuugi was already over the fight last night.

The gods obviously didn't favor him nearly as much as Mahado claimed.

The smell of grease filled the tiny kitchen -slash- dining area in the upper part of the Mutou residence. A pan and a mixing bowl sat in the left side of the sink, with an extra plate of toast with a fried egg on it out on the linoleum counter top. A small part of Yami hoped it was meant for him.

Yuugi sat at the table talking to another boy his age with bright white hair, both already dressed and ready to go out despite it being so early in the morning. The other boy was dressed more conservatively than Yuugi in a wool sweater and thick jeans that looked too large on the slender frame hidden beneath them. He smiled brightly at the other, with a hand up to his mouth in giddy laughter.

"You're serious?" Yuugi gave the boy a smirk, which seemed to be enough for the other to get his answer and continue to express humor at a joke Yami and Mahado hadn't heard. "That's brilliant!"

Yuugi shrugged modestly. It was heartwarming to see him acting more like the Yuugi he usually saw, and not nearly as angry as he'd been last night. He stayed silent in the entryway not wanting to interrupt the moment for as long as he could.

"It's not that impressive," he said casting his eyes down, and a blush crept up on his pale cheeks. Yuugi was blushing? Yami's fond observation became less so, and more heated at the whitette causing such a reaction.

Yuugi was probably just being shy, but he seemed so much more confident the other day. There was also a plate in front of the unknown boy littered with crumbs. He was someone Yuugi was considerate enough to make breakfast for. Or had he just been being polite? The boy and Yuugi standing up and getting ready to leave from the looks of it were enough for Yami to make his presence known. He walked out in their line of sight and picked up the plate on the counter. He'd make grandpa one after he ate if it was for him.

They looked at the newcomer and the white haired bastard actually spoke. "Oh hello there! Yuugi who's this, a relative?"

The tension in the air seemed to be felt by everyone except the boy who'd asked the question. He smiled innocently at his friend, ignorant of the growing irritation being directed at him from Yami. Mahado sensed the mood and squirmed in the single arm now supporting him as Yami briskly sat down.

"Umm no," Yuugi said. "Yami lives with my uncle, we're not related though. He's…staying for the summer." Yami had no reason to expect Yuugi not to finish that statement with 'my friend.' It's how he always introduced him to people.

'Is he really that mad at me?' Yami wondered. He unconsciously loosened his grip on the cat and Mahado jumped from his grasp and onto the table before he could fall.

"Aw what an adorable kitten," the boy said leaning down to pet Mahado. Yami was pleased that his reaction was to back away and rear back his ears with a warning hiss. His hand retreated and he gave a nervous laugh. "I guess he doesn't like me very much.

Yuugi directed a very displeased look to their companion. "He's just being prissy." There would be words about that one later.

"So who is this anyways?" Yami asked motioning to the boy. He made no move to directly address him. "I don't remember you mentioning him in any of our emails. Or grandpa either."

"We don't have to tell you everything," He snapped.

"I'm Ryou," the boy spoke up awkwardly. He finally seemed to grasp the mood in the room. "I only transferred to Domino at the start of this year, so I suppose he hasn't known me very long. That's probably why you haven't heard much of me. It's very nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out for Yami to shake.

There was credit to be given in staying polite when someone in the room was making it obvious they didn't want you there. Yami gave a simple grunt and continued to ignore him. To add insult he took a bite of his toast and went on eating as if he weren't there. That didn't earn him any favors with Yuugi.

"Don't mind him, let's go Ryou," Yuugi said grabbing Ryou's wrist. Yami stopped mid bite. It wasn't anything too intimate, but it was enough to bring out an ugly feeling in the back of his mind.

"Actually, I should probably head home," Ryou said. "I told my brother I'd be back before ten. I wouldn't want to make you and Jou leave early. You two have fun."

"Alright if you're sure," said Yuugi.

Ryou nodded and gave a friendly wave good bye to Yami before walking ahead of the shorter boy towards the stairs. Something jostled at the movement and fell out of a small pocket above the larger ones on his pants. It clicked against the floor. A USB drive by the looks of it. Mahado leaped from the table and padded over to the item before its owner could reach down to pick it up.

"No kitty please don't mess with that!" Ryou said quickly snatching it up. The cat bared its fangs and swiped at his hand. He missed by just a fraction. Yami wasn't fond of Ryou by this point, but still found Mahado's actions strange. The cat was usually so serene. Ryou yelped and held his hand close to himself. "Your kitten really hates me."

"Mahado!" Yuugi chastised. "Bad Kitty!" Mahado flinched back and if Yami weren't still a little down over his current feud with Yuugi he might have laughed at the cat's indignation. All amusement fled when Yuugi spoke to Yami with no hint of affection. "I'll be out with my friend Jounouchi all day. Grandpa already knows, he'll be up to open the shop by himself later." Ryou and Yuugi disappeared from sight and a few moments later they heard the front door open and close.

Yami pushed his plate away, not feeling so hungry anymore. "Here Mahado, you can have this." He muttered despondent. He leaned his cheek on his fist and placed his elbow on the table. The cat in question walked over and gracefully leaped up to take his previous spot standing on the table. There was something deathly serious about him now.

"As fond as I am of your moping this isn't the time."

Yami flicked the cat on the nose and smirked when it drew back with a hiss. "What are you mad at me to now?"

The cat growled and swiped his finger hard enough to leave tiny scratches. Yami took his hand back and hissed in pain at the marks. They didn't really hurt, just stung annoyingly.

"This is serious!" Mahado shouted. "Yuugi's friend might be working with the Shadow Realm.

That got Yami to straighten up. "What?"

"The USB, I sensed something dark surrounding it the moment it fell onto the floor," Mahado explained. "Once I got a closer check there was no mistaking it, the device is practically bathed in the magic of the Shadow Realm."

The news was alarming. Someone close to Yuugi, who he considered a friend was possibly an agent of the Shadow Realm. That couldn't be allowed to go on for long. Who knew how much time they had before he could make a move to hurt Yuugi once he found out who Sailor Ra was.

"We need to be sure before we act," said Yami. "We can't risk hurting him if he's innocent."

"Hurting him, or Yuugi?" said Mahado. It was a clear challenge on his judgment. Judgment the advisor was certain was clouded by his feelings for Yuugi. Yami didn't like Ryou much, he'd gathered, but he was still hesitant to hurt him because he was Yuugi's friend. That kind of sentiment was dangerous.

"Look there has to be a way we can check," Yami reasoned.

"You're avoiding my question." He pointed it out bluntly.

"That doesn't matter," Yami said more forcefully. "You said that the magic was coming from the USB? We'll get a closer look at that, download whatever's on it. I'm sure if he's one of Yuugi's friends grandpa knows where he lives."

"In the time this plan takes who knows what Ryou could accomplish!" Mahado yelled. "You're letting your emotions get in the way!"

"Damn it I said we'll look into it!" Yami shot back. He stood up and headed to leave the kitchen. "Just eat your egg and I'll get ready and ask grandpa. We can go as soon as possible. Happy?"

"I'd be happier if you would be more proactive," he said under his breath. The other left the kitchen and Mahado turned to the sunny side up egg on toast. He leaned down a puncture the yolk skin with his fangs licked the bright yellow goo that flowed out.

_'By the gods I hope that boy knows what he's doing,'_ Mahado mused to himself.

_()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()_

Yuugi arrived at the fast food restaurant after about a twenty minute walk from the game shop. It wasn't too busy being this early in the morning and that it was only the second day of summer vacation. He walked into Burger World and was met with the strong aroma of grease and french fries. He spotted Jounouchi at one of the bright colored booths and went straight for his friend.

"Hey Yuugi!" shouted Jou waving at his friend. Yuugi put on a smile for the blond in return and scooted into the booth across from him.

He was still a bit upset about his fight with Yami from the other night, and how he'd acted this morning. The jerk. That was the anger clouding his thoughts and he knew it, but he couldn't help it. It was just so hard for him to get over how he'd acted. Yuugi wanted to let it go for a little while, after all it wouldn't be fair to Jou to be upset during their time hanging out today.

"Hey are you alright?" Jounouchi asked breaking the boy out of his thoughts.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Like hell man," Jounouchi countered. The taller boy leaned back in the booth and scrutinized the other. "You're smile ain't right. Completely fake."

Yuugi cringed at how easily he'd been caught. He hadn't intended to be that obvious. He might be even more upset than he though. "Really it's no big deal." He tried his luck again. He figured the lack of eye contact was none too convincing.

"Best friend since junior high," Jounouchi stated. The unspoken 'you can't bullshit me' was heard loud and clear. "Now tell me what's wrong. I was expecting you to come in here sprouting daisies when Anzu emailed us about Yami being here for the summer."

Yuugi tried to stop the scowl that came from hearing Yami's name, and failed horribly. Of course Jou noticed. He was pretty sure anyone would have that time. Best friend or no.

"Wait, is he the reason you're down?" Jou sounded genuinely shocked by the revelation. "Really? I thought you two were thick as thieves. I mean the guy was practically your living body guard growing up."

If unintentional quips were straws, that one broke the camel's back.

"That's the problem," Yuugi said finally dropping the act completely. Alright, he was mad and he had a right to be. Why not act like it and vent a little? That's what friends were for after all. The question was how to do that without telling Jou everything. He trusted his friends, but this might be too much. Especially when you considered he and Yami had only learned about any of this less than twenty-four hours ago.

"He just, is being super over protective and it's getting on my nerves," Yuugi confessed. Jou waited for his friend to finish. "I mean I get it I used to have some problems with bullies and everything, but I'm not fragile, you know? I can take care of myself."

That was the main issue, it didn't feel like the most important one though. It was like Yami didn't trust him to be able to handle the dangers that were coming. He'd always hated being counted out, and often was because of things like his size or his good nature. Yami was pretty much the same in those areas, so what was his excuse?

"Of course you can," Jou shrugged. "Maybe that's not what it's about though." Yuugi raised a brow at his friend's response. Jou sighed. "Look Yuugi, think of it this way. With Shizuka, I know she can handle herself, she's a tough kid. She had to be the way we grew up, but I still worry about her."

"Shizuka's your little sister though," Yuugi pointed out. "Yami's not my brother, and he's literally one week older." If that came out like a whine he'd never own up to it.

Jou snickered at his friend's tone, but kept making his point. "True, but he loves you, just like I love Shizuka."

_'Okay, definitely not the same kind of love, but that scary bastard would ring my neck if I said that.'_ Jounouchi thought.

"Anyways," said Jou. "Whatever he's doing may not be right, but I think he's doing it because he cares. Y'know? Has nothing to do with whether your weak or not."

Yuugi thought on that. Jounouchi might have a point about reasons; thankfully could always count on Jou for honesty. That didn't mean he agreed with the response, but his motivations could have been more pure than he assumed. He'd make sure he talked to Yami about it more when he got home later. He wasn't going to back down and agree to stay out of dodge, but he could work with that motivation and use it to try for a compromise at least. If Yami really did just want to protect him because he cared so much.

"I want to protect him to though, "Yuugi said out loud. Hearing himself say it was different than having it float around in the back burner of his thoughts. Heat filled his cheeks and Amethyst orbs went rounder than usual.

"Man you're blushing!" Jou said throwing his head back in laughter. "Someone still harboring a bit of a crush~?" he sing songed in a gentle tease.

"Shut up!" the short teenager squeaked. "Anyways, he was still a jerk to Ryou this morning." Yuugi quickly changed the subject not quite comfortable with where it was heading. Truthfully he wasn't too worried about his interaction with Ryou. Yami had probably just been in a poor mood from the fight, and Ryou was far too nice to hold any grudges for something that stupid.

Jou picked up on the hint, it didn't stop him from looking like a smug prick though. He wondered how long the other was going to hold this over his head. Yuugi was fully preparing himself for a whole summer of teasing from him now.

"Ryou came over to your place this morning?" Apparently his friend was in a merciful mood. Thank goodness for that.

"Yeah," Yuugi said going with the new flow of conversation. "I was going to invite him over to hang out today, but he told his brother he'd be home early."

"Geeze that douche bag?" Scoffed Jou rolling his eyes. "Between him and all the extra school stuff he pulls does he ever have time to do anything?"

"Jounouchi!" Yuugi scolded. "Ryou's just trying to help, and that extra school stuff is why his class rank is light-years above ours." It was more than a bit humbling to someone whose grades were average at best to compare with the whitette on exam days.

"Yeah, yeah," Jou waved him off. "Didn't he agree to do some summer school program though? I mean seriously."

"No," said Yuugi. "He only agreed to help the teacher in charge of it download something for it to the school computer systems I think. He's going in tomorrow morning to do it and then he's done."

"Teacher's pet," Jou mocked.

"Maybe you'd actually make above average marks if you tried it for once," Yuugi taunted playfully.

"Hey my marks are great!" Said Jou.

"Uh-huh."

The blond feigned insult and reached over the table to grab for his friend. "C'mere you snarky brat." He pulled him forward making his best attempt to put him in a headlock in their limited reach.

"Ah, Jou no!" Yuugi laughed trying to push away Jou, joining in.

"You two punks quiet down and order something or get the hell out of my store!" The morning manager shouted from behind the counter.

"Sorry!"

"Tch. Whatever."

Needless to say Jounouchi was banned from the Burger World morning shift for being a smart ass, and Yuugi for being his associate. Jou had shrugged as they were escorted out of the restaurant with a huge grin.

_()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()_

"Anzu and Honda only work evening, and afternoons anyways. Also, the breakfast menu here sucks."

Dressed, and in Mahado's case bathed on account Yami refused to be trapped in the car with him while he still smelled like alley cat, they were ready to act out their plan. Yami pulled up in the red mini cooper with Mahado in the passenger to a quaint two story house with smooth white walls. Not like the shop, but an actual two stories of living space located in an upper middle class neighborhood that would have bordered on a suburb if it wasn't in the city. They noticed a large tree growing next to the side of the house and two windows on the side of the house at an easily jumpable distance.

A small Toyota was parked in the driveway signaling someone was home at least. The window closest to the front side was lifted open by a pair of pale hands and Yami spotted the edge of the sleeves from Ryou's sweater.

"See that?" He asked the cat sitting next to him.

Mahado nodded. "I think that's my best bet in. It looks like it might be Ryou's room to."

"He's also in it though," Yami pointed out. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. He turned to his partner in crime. "I'll knock on the door and ask for him. Wait off to the side and see if we can get him to leave his room first."

Mahado pushed the flash drive they'd brought forward with his tail. "And when he does, I'll be ready to climb in his room with this."

"Just be careful, if you hear someone coming or you can't find it then run," Yami opened his door and stepped out of the car. Mahado followed behind, the flash drive secure between his teeth. They gave each other a confirming look and Mahado scampered off around the corner of the house where he could still peek for a good view of the front porch.

Yami walked up to the concrete front steps of the house glancing once at the cat to make sure he was in position. After confirmation he gently pressed the doorbell and waited. He heard the footsteps coming not a few moments later. Someone was obviously already down stairs. Ryou had been in his room just moments ago, meaning someone else was obviously home with him. That complicated things indefinitely. Mahado needed to be smart about this.

The sound of the locks being undone alerted Yami and the door was pulled open none too gently. For a moment he thought it was actually Ryou who answered the door, but it quickly became obvious he was a completely different person. Where Ryou had soft and slightly poofy hair this man had wild untamed hair of the same color. His eyes seemed sterner and his face wasn't as round with more defined angles to it. A short t-shirt with blue stripes showed off more defined muscles than what Yami guessed existed on slender Ryou.

"Who the hell are you?" The man said in a gravelly voice. Definitely not the boy he'd met this morning.

"I'm a friend of Yuugi Mutou, Ryou's friend?" Yami said. The man didn't seem too impressed by that claim.

"The little pipsqueak?" The man asked rhetorically. "Figures. He and those friends of his are the only ones lame enough to actually hang out with Ryou."

Ten seconds after meeting him and Yami instinctively hated this man. If not for the unnecessarily rude comments, then for the fact he carried himself like a complete arrogant miscreant. The man looked back into the house and yelled.

"Yadonushi!" He shouted. "Someone's actually here to see you!"

"Thanks Bakura, be right there!" Ryou's voice called back from upstairs.

The man, who he now knew as Bakura, looked over Yami one last time with a distasteful look before walking away to do whatever he'd been doing before. Good riddance. Yami wasn't sure he could handle another moment with the man who'd answered the door. Luckily Ryou was quick about coming to greet his company and appeared in the doorway not a moment later.

A puzzled look crossed the teen's features. "You're Yuugi's friend aren't you? Well hello, good to meet you again." The greeting was genuinely friendly, and unexpected considering who rude he'd been to Ryou this morning.

"Yeah," Yami replied awkwardly.

"Is there something I can do for you?" He asked politely.

He hadn't actually considered what he'd say to Ryou once he answered. For one, he knew nothing about him other than he was Yuugi's friend. Well, not completely true. He knew that the guy lived with a total jack ass apparently. Hmmm.

"Who was the man who answered the door?"

The boy's face fell instantly to something akin to guilt. "He's my twin brother. Did he say something to you? I'm so sorry, Bakura isn't really a people person." Identical twins most likely, Bakura was probably more physically active from what he saw.

"I guessed that much," Yami did his best to pass it off more like a joke and less of a passive aggressive insult. The boy at least tried to humor him with a weak smile. "Didn't he call you his landlord?"

"That's, complicated," Ryou sounded uncomfortable again. Not good, he didn't need Ryou trying to rush out of conversation with him. "I hate to be frank, but I got the feeling you don't really care for me this morning. So why are you here?" Okay, so he was more aware than Yami gave him credit for. Apparently he just didn't care that Yami had been blatantly rude to him.

"I uh –"he glanced to the corner of the house where Mahado was no longer peaking from. He must already have been in Ryou's room by that point. No turning back, he said the first thing that popped into his mind. –"need advice."

"Advice?" Ryou said. "I'm not sure exactly what I could help with. I mean no offense, but I barely know you, and it's only because of Yuugi."

Mahado better be right about this. "That's what I need advice on."

"On Yuugi?" The boy parroted confused. Some realization crossed him, and Yami was actually curious to what he'd come up with concerning his fake problem. "Is it about how icy you two were this morning?"

Oh right, he actually did have a real problem with Yuugi. Of course the boy had noticed it to. Yami was starting to understand that either Ryou was quite good at reading people, or he and Yuugi were painfully obvious. Either way he was stuck in a corner with no way out. So he continued to lie with the truth.

He nodded and tapped into his actual frustration at the situation. "I couldn't go ask his other friends, so I figured you might be able to help. I made him really angry with me and I don't know how to fix it."

Ryou brought a hand to his chest and his eyes hooded in sympathy. The pale boy bit his lip between his teeth. "I'm sorry, you must care an awful lot to go to someone you don't even like for advice like this, but I don't know if I should talk about him with you behind his back like this. Yuugi's my friend after all, I can't betray his confidence."

If Ryou didn't turn out to be evil, Yami was going to feel really guilty later. He was tricking what so far seemed like a completely nice and courteous boy who was also a loyal friend to Yuugi. That was without adding how rude he'd been and that he now knew the kid had to deal with someone like that Bakura guy probably on a daily basis.

"It's Ryou right?" He pleaded. "Sorry I don't know your family name."(*)

"Oh it's Bakura," he said off handedly. "My brother hates his given name so he only goes by it. Just Ryou is fine for me, it's less confusing that way."

"Right, Ryou," Yami said. "I really care about Yuugi. We grew up together, but I moved to Tokyo about two years ago. I haven't seen him much since then except for a few small trips back to Domino and sending emails. It's really hard knowing I finally get to see him again for a while, and he's so mad at me." Yami could practically see the metaphorical walls crumbling around Ryou. Just a final push.

_'I'm so sorry Aibou. I'm using this as a distraction, I know it's wrong.'_ He thought. Luckily if his conflict was showing in any way it probably just made him more convincing to Ryou.

"Especially with how I feel about him," Yami felt like scum the moment the words left his mouth.

"Feel about him?" Ryou questioned.

"I've, had feelings for him for years," it wasn't a total lie, and that made it worse. True, to win against a particularly steady opponent underhanded tactics could be useful. This felt like cheating though. Yami hated cheating. "I was going to tell him over the summer, I'm staying for the entire vacation, but then we had a fight and…well now I'm here."

Ryou gasped and covered his mouth. When the surprise wore off he lowered his palm and broke out into an almost dreamy look. "That's so sweet! If you really need it, I'd be happy to help you as long as it isn't too personal. What's the problem?"

So guilty.

Upstairs Mahado sat on the desk urging the stupid device to work faster. The USB had been easy to spot once he'd climbed through the window. In plain sight on the desk next to the boy's no portable computer. Luckily it was a newer one with multiple jacks to plug the USB and his own flash drive and transfer the files. Mahado wasn't the most tech savvy, but he could press a few keys with his tail and download things at least. The program hadn't actually been applied to anything yet, and was downloading rather quickly to the drive. Already at ninety percent.

Mahado waited bored and took a moment to actually take in the boy's room. It wouldn't be a surprise in the least if he actually was from the Shadow Realm. The actual room was normal. Compact with a desk, a dresser, a few shelves along the walls, and a small twin bed. It was the décor that unnerved him. Posters with occult symbols and hieroglyphs in eerie fonts decorated the walls. A DVD titled 'Cannibal Holocaust' sat about a foot away on the desk next to a few wooden figurines shaped like strangely dressed people. If the picture on the cover was anything to go by it was a disturbing film.(*) All the books on the one shelf close enough for him to make out the titles were related to either to the dark side of mysticism, or ancient Egypt.

The computer pinged with the download completed and Mahado let out a breath of relief. "Thank the gods, that mask was starting to unnerve me." He referred to the red faced mask with sharp tusks and horns protruding from it right above his bed. "I would rue having to go against an actual foe who looked anything liked that."

He pushed down the power button with his tail and removed the flash drive between his teeth. After the computer screen went black, he wrapped his tail around Ryou's USB and placed the cursed thing back on the desk where he found it. He leaped off the desk and to the bed just below his ticket out. Just as he stepped into the window he heard the door handle turn. He quickly jumped out onto the tree.

His footing was off and he landed on a much thinner branch end than intended and felt it snap beneath his feet. The cat yowled as it plummeted straight into the bushes below out of sight.

Bakura peaked his head out the window looking around outside. "Could have sword I heard something. Stupid boy needs to keep the window closed before vermin crawl their way in." He retreated followed by the window slamming shut.

"See it's as simple as that!" Ryou said cheerfully at Yami. His guest nodded along, catching the sight of Mahado peaking around the corner of the house in his periphery.

"Thanks Ryou," Yami said taken aback. The advice had actually, been good. "I should, probably go. You must be busy."

"Nonsense, never too busy to help a friend," Said Ryou. "But, if you need to be off I understand." They waved as Yami lightly jogged back to the car. "Make sure you get my email from Yuugi and tell me how it goes later!" After that Ryou retreated back into his home and Yami got into the car, leaving the door open for Mahado. The feline ran to the car once the coast was clear and crawled in through Yami's door. He hopped into the back seat, spitting out the USB.

"What happened to you?" Yami referred to the mess of the leaves clumped in the cat's fur.

"Just drive," Mahado ordered briskly.

_()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()_

Yuugi arrived back home later that evening. He'd said a quick hello to grandpa before the older man had told him Yami and Mahado were working together on something upstairs. He'd headed right up, mentally preparing himself to confront his friend about their argument. Yuugi wasn't going to be the only one to say sorry, but he still needed to say it. He made his way up and checked the kitchen before determining they were probably in Yami's room.

He cracked the door open to see them sitting together staring at a laptop. Yami leaning on his hands against the mattress with his knees drawn to his chest.

"How much longer?"

"It's taking longer than it did onto the drive," Mahado said.

The hurt he'd felt earlier returned seeing them doing likely Senshi related business without him. He needed to push through if he wanted to settle things with Yami. Yuugi opened the door all the way and stepped into the room.

"Yami?"

The boy in question's head shot up at his name being called by the familiar voice.

"Yuugi."

"Can I talk to you?" he asked shaking his head in the direction of the hallway. Yami carefully left the bed so as not to disturb the laptop or Mahado.

The two shuffled into the hallway outside the bed room. Yami took up refuge next to the door, leaning on the wall, while Yuugi on the wall across from it. For a time neither knew what to say. Both had their own looks of hurt and regret in equal on their faces. Yuugi remembered Jou's interpretation of the situation and Yami could hear Ryou's words echoing through his head.

_"Maybe you should try to see it from his side whatever it is. I mean how would you feel if he put you in his position? Not very good I assume. If you want to ever get anywhere you have to understand relationships are equal."_

Yuugi had been right, Yami hadn't treated him like his partner. He'd gone over his head and tried to make Yuugi stay out of danger.

_"Don't be afraid to say you're sorry and come up with a compromise. You don't have to bow to his side completely of course, but you both need to come out happy in the end."_

The last piece was the only one he wasn't willing to try yet.

_"Tell him how you feel."_

"I'm sorry," both voices spoke at once. They blinked at one another before breaking out into two reluctant smiles.

"Can I go first?" Asked Yami.

"Sure."

"Aibou," Yami sighed. "Please try to understand that I wasn't saying you couldn't help as any insult to you. You're my closest friend, if anything happened to you I don't know what I'd do. I know you aren't weak, but you were almost hurt at the jewelry store. It frightened me. I didn't want that to ever happen again."

He'd said his piece and gotten out how he felt. It was a relief actually to have it out in the open. He just hoped Yuugi understood. Yami really did just want to prevent him from being at the mercy of one of the monsters again.

"I do understand," Yuugi said, "but you need to understand to." He stepped away from the wall and close to Yami. Enough so that he could reach forward and grab his wrist and hold it up. Yami had almost forgot about his bandages. "I almost got hurt, you did get hurt. It scared me to mou hitori no boku." Yami's heart soared at the nick name. It was sounding like Yuugi actually did forgive him. "I want to protect you to. You're going to be fighting monsters and who knows what else. I know I can't jump into action like a Senshi or anything, but please just let me help in my own way." He released Yami's wrist. "Don't ask me to sit back and watch you get hurt when you won't do the same."

Yami considered what he was saying. Ryou's word were there again. "Partnerships are equal."

All of the anger and pain seemed to drain from the space and the two boys reached out for each other. Arms wrapped around their bodies holding them together in a shared embrace. Both buried their faces into the other's neck. Their thick hair brushing against each other's faces. It felt nice to be able to do this again. To be close to each other with no anger or frustrations. They pulled back enough to look each other in the eyes, but kept their arms in place around them.

Yami looked into those beautiful kind eyes that belonged to the one person who had always been there for him in life, and Yuugi did the same. A heat formed between them that Yuugi was unfamiliar with and Yami was all too familiar with. Slowly they began to drift closer again into another embrace or maybe something else.

"Get in here now!" Mahado shouted from the bedroom. They pulled apart quickly and rushed back into Yami's room the moment gone in an instant. Bursting in they saw Mahado looking at the screen in a discomposed fear they didn't think their new guardian capable of.

"What is it?" Yuugi said walking forward.

"Yuugi stay back!" Mahado ordered his tail quickly pressing the power button down. "You can't look at this." Yami was getting nervous. Mahado's strange behavior couldn't mean anything positive. Whatever was on the USB was bad.

And if you followed basic logic, so was Ryou.

That night, after explaining some things to Yuugi who was adamant at first his friend couldn't possibly be anything but good, they'd gotten an explanation from Mahado. The program generated ancient symbols from Egyptian sorcery meant to weaken the minds of any normal human who saw them. It was essentially a brainwashing program to lull whoever watched it into a vegetative state while the Shadow Realm harvested their life force. If what Yuugi told them was right, the target was dozens of Japanese students signed up for summer school who would think this was an online tutoring program.

Yuugi eventually had to admit the evidence against Ryou looked bad. Yami was disappointed himself deep down, not just for Yuugi's sake either. He had actually started to sympathize with and like Ryou during their talk earlier. It might have all been a charade. So many questions rose at their discovery. Questions they intended to get answered the next morning when they confronted Ryou at school when he tried to download the program.

_()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()_

The next morning they arrived at the school Mahado, Yuugi, and Yami all there to confront the boy who'd deceived two of them. Yuugi seemed forlorn at the idea of his two friends fighting, but if Ryou really was a monster trying to hurt people he couldn't stop it. He'd already made it clear he was actually happy to stay out of this fight and let Yami handle it. Mahado was trying not to dwell on it around them too much. It needed to be done or dozens of children would lose their lives.

They entered the vast school building from the main office entry, the door already unlocked for Ryou most likely. It was too early for any of the teachers to be here yet. Yami rubbed the pin on his jacket more firmly the closer they further down the starch white halls they went. The library was a straight walk through the right hallway past the front lobby to two large push doors.

"You're sure this is where he'll be?" asked Mahado.

"The library is where the program's being held," Yuugi said sadly. He looked at the doors like they lead to a funeral. In a way they did.

Yami looked down at Mahado. "What if he escapes? The main priority is to stop the program after all."

Mahado looked aghast. "I hope you are not suggesting that you are actually going to let him get away?"

"No!" Yami said quickly. If anything to prevent Yuugi from getting his hopes up. He still hadn't fully accepted his friend wasn't who he thought he was. "I mean, I never got the chance to ask this before. I any enemy gets away they'll know my face. They could come after us later right?" He thought if Yuugi heard it like this it might make it easier to accept Ryou's fate in that moment. They couldn't let Ryou escape.

Mahado wasn't going to give Yami false information to play into his trick. "Your Senshi form holds a glamour over it, people will only recognize you as Yami Sennen if you so desire it."

"Oh." So much for that. He placed a hand on Yuugi's shoulder. "Stay here with Mahado, I'll come back out when it's done. He stepped away and stood right before the doors. "Millennium prism power!" In flashes of golden light Yami vanished and Sailor Ra took his place. He crept in through the doors unnoticed by the boy they could only vaguely see from the halls.

After his friend vanished to the library Yuugi couldn't bring himself to stick around. He walked back down the halls. Mahado followed after him, looking concerned. He didn't know this one well, and while he wasn't his charge the way Yami was, he didn't like seeing him so depressed. They reached the end of the hall when a noise from behind the last classroom door caught their attention.

"Oh it's going brilliant master Pegasus!" A female voice exclaimed. Yuugi and Mahado paused. There shouldn't be any teachers this early yet. They came to an agreement without any need for words and leaned in on the door.

"The program is downloading as we speak, soon these brats shall provide their wastrel lives to the cause of the Shadow Realm."

Ryou had an accomplice? They had to warn Yami!

"The best part, I spied that little bastard Mahado. One of the boys I spotted with him must be Sailor Ra, and they think that pathetic boy I got to download it for me is responsible!" She broke out into amused laughter.

Oh gods.

They had to save Ryou!

_()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()_

_**Back to the Present**_

Ryou screamed in terror as the spike came towards him. It was like one of his horror movies. He liked to watch them sure, he didn't want to be in one though. This was all a bad dream, it had to be. Any moment now he'd wake up and open his eyes. His eyes actually did open. Unsure when he'd closed them he looked to see Yuugi laying on top of him, the boy in the crown stared at them and looked worried. Ryou's gaze fell up at Yuugi who rolled off facing back at the monster who had once been a teacher.

_'He must have pushed me down,'_ Ryou thought. _'Yuugi saved my life.'_

"Ryou run!" Yuugi ordered.

Ryou wobbled when he tried standing up and the monster grinned contorting even further. Her skin turned red all over and her limbs stretch to thin, stringy muscles. Her hair became spike and deep blue and her face twisted to have tusks protrude from her lips and horn poke out of her forehead like the oni mask he kept in his room.

"You must be joking," said that one unknown voice.

The creature roared and fired more of its claws at them, the group scattering the dodge them. Ryou ran to dive under a desk, but his feet seemed to fall out from under him. He curled in on himself expecting to be pierced by one of the shrapnel like claws any second. Yuugi and the other had dived in different directions this time, there'd be no one to save him. He heard Yuugi and the mystery pharaoh man scream his name. It was nice they were worried about him he guessed.

_'Maybe this time when I open my eyes Amane and mother will be there,'_ he thought grimly.

None of it ever came. The bright light at the end of the tunnel and dead relatives were absent when his eyes opened. What he did see were glowing bright blue hieroglyphs surrounding him in a dome of sorts, the claw floating between them like they were some sort of barrier. Ryou sat there in shock.

"It can't be! Another one!" shouted the monster in rage.

Mahado stared at the boy from his place a few meters away to his left. A spike he'd barely dodge between them. He'd seen the barrier of words rise around the boy to protect him, and now watched as the flickered out. A better look at Ryou let him take notice of a glowing symbol on his forehead. The head of an ibis.

"Sailor Ra!" Shouted Mahado. "Keep her busy!"

Yami set Yuugi down from where he'd grabbed the boy to dodge the spikes headed towards them. "Stay here." He ordered before running forward at her.

She screamed at him in rage raising her non-spiked arm as it molded into a scythe. She swung down at him, and Yami side stepped out of the way. His reflexes increased ever since his powers discover he managed to deliver a strong kick to the side knocking her off balance. She tried to use her own falling momentum to swing low at his legs. Yami jumped over the attack, landing on top of the bladed arm and pushing back off of it to flip a few meters away. She fell to the ground with a thud.

"You insolent little brat! The shadows will feast on your soul upon your death!" she yelled rushing up to run at him again.

"You'll have to actually hit me first," he challenged and readied for her next attack.

'_My aim with the crown isn't good enough to hit her moving yet, and I can't keep this up forever,'_ he thought._ 'Mahado whatever you're doing please hurry.'_

Mahado scampered over to Ryou while she was distracted by Yami and nuzzled against the boy's leg to draw his attention away from the fight. He eeped at the sudden touch during the tense moment. He finally noticed Mahado tilting his head in confusion.

"Yuugi's cat?"

"Ryou I know this may be a shock to you," Mahado spoke. "But you have the power to help Yami fight that monster attacking us."

"Yami?" He questioned. He did a double take at him fighting the monster, the illusion shattered the second he was told the truth. "That really is him!"

Mahado might question how he found that more surprising than the talking cat, but then again he'd seen the things this boy kept in his room. There were also more dire matters at hand. Creating the same motions with his hand as when he'd made Yami's pin appear, in a flash of blue a pen of the same color appeared with a golden cap. A ring protruded from the cap, and in the ring a golden ibis head. He wrapped his tail around the pen and lobbed it at Ryou. The boy caught it on reflex.

"Ryou hold it up and shout Thoth power!" Mahado ordered urgently.

Yami was struggling in the battle, her scythe hand being blocked by the golden bracelet on his injured wrist. She quickly raised it back up and brought it back down in quick secession. The force knocked Yami onto the ground despite his wrist band blocking it again. Yuugi meanwhile scrambled to one of the computer desks and ripped a keyboard from the jack. Just as she raised her blade to slash into Yami the keyboard came flying at her and hit her square in the face.

She growled at the boy and raised her other hand. The spikes regrew that had already been fired and she fired a new round straight at Yuugi who barely had time to jump out of the way and dodge. One of the spikes just barely scrape against his shoulder creating a small cut.

"Yuugi!" cried Yami in fear. He pushed himself up to run at her again. "Leave his alone!" She delivered a swift kick to his abdomen and the boy howled in pain.

Ryou's eyes widened. His friends were in danger, and he had the power to save them. He gripped the pen in his hand tightly and held it high above his head. "I won't let you hurt them! Thoth power!"

A bright light filled the room, pale blue instead of the gold during Yami's transformation. On instinct Ryou flung the pen in a swirling and then circular pattern and the light wrapped around his body. It flung away from him in a quick flash and his old clothes had vanished leaving behind his own Senshi uniform. It was longer than Yami's robes, but more loos and flowing hanging off his shoulders with longer sleeves, but the same slippers adorned his feet silver anklets a few inches above them. A silver bands wrapped around his neck and waist, but not his wrists unlike Yami. The hems of the sleeves and bottom of the robes were a pale icy blue like the crystal in the center of the diadem that formed around his head.

Ryou stood before them as a Senshi and glared at the monster. "Leave them alone!"

The red beast looked at him with disdain. "I was right, there are two of them! Damn it, as if one wasn't annoying enough." A sadistic grin took her features as she stared down at Yami doubled over in pain still. She stomped her foot down on his back bringing him to the floor. She pressed down on his spine reveling in his pained grunts.

Yuugi stepped forward ready to run forward to help. "Yuugi no!" Mahado said. "Let Ryou handle this."

Ryou raised his hands, determined to save the other Senshi he uttered the words without knowing where they even came from. "Thoth sphere mist!" Glowing orbs of light appeared all around Ryou each with Hieroglyphs shining in the center. He pushed his hands towards the monster and fired. It didn't seem to damage her much, but the impact flung her back and forced off of Yami. She hit the wall, but braced herself on it to stay upright. Where the spheres had hit mist began to fill the room affecting everyone's line of sight.

"What is this?!" she shouted looking around frantically. There was no sign of either of the Senshi much to her annoyance. The brat was playing hide and seek in the fog with her. She didn't have time for any stupid games. "Show yourself you little cowards!"

"Alright," said a whisper behind her.

She turned quickly to see the white haired boy standing there in plain sight palms splayed over his chest. "Ha! So much for the god of wisdom, so long Sailor Thoth!" She brought down her scythe through the boy slicing him in half. The blood and feel of flesh tearing never came though, instead she phased through him and he faded away. A floating symbol of an ibis head stood in his place and shattered. "A-an illusion?"

"Millennium crown magic!" The voice was unmistakable as Sailor Ra, and the whirl of energy being flung her way not long after.

She never had the chance to turn and see the golden disk of light coming her way, but had just enough time to shout in despair at her imminent death. "NOOOOO!" It hit slicing through her body and burning it up in a flare of the sun's purest light all at one. Her body crumbling to ash after it was split in two.

After the monster crumbled the mist in the library began to fade. The two Senshi stood side by side, victorious. Mahado and Yuugi rushed over from their place at the sidelines to reach the two. Ryou was amazed, he'd just helped defeat a powerful monster and fought alongside a mystical warrior. Which apparently he also was. Yami turned to him and shot him a smile.

"You did well Ryou," the whitette felt bashful at the compliment.

"You saved Yami!" Yuugi said pulling his friend into a quick hug. "Thank you."

Ryou would have returned it, if not for the searing pain it caused. He flinched and gave a yelp. The wound in his arm had been irritated by his friend's embrace. He'd nearly forgotten about it in the heat of the moment. Yuugi flung himself back when he realized it.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

Ryou gripped the wound trying to gain some relief in putting pressure on it. "Don't apologize. It just hurts, I should probably get to a hospital."

"That might not bode well," Mahado said. The cat had a point, they already would have to erase to program from the school system and clean up the ashes of the monster before anyone came in. A hospital trip with an unexplained stab wound would complicate things.

_'We can't just not do anything though,'_ Yami thought.

It was partially their fault Ryou was in pain. If they hadn't been busy blaming him they could have protected him more efficiently. Plus, Ryou had saved them in the end despite that. Yami placed a hand on the wound to help Ryou put pressure on it. The bleeding had all but stopped, but dried blood still covered he boys arm from before.

"It's not your fault," Ryou tried to assure him.

Somehow Yami had a hard time believing that. They all were given a surprise when Yami's hand started to glow on the wound. The eye of Horus appearing on the back of his hand. The light covered Ryou's wound and then vanished leaving only clear pale skin and the dried remnants of the blood he'd shed.

"You healed me?" Ryou said astounded. "Thank you."

Yami lowered his hand from the other's arm and clapped Ryou on the shoulder. "Welcome to the Senshi, Sailor Thoth."

Mahado watched the scene unfold as Yuugi joined in the conversation expressing excitement over Yami's new power. The three boys started conversing and explaining all they could to Ryou without his help while the newest Senshi absorbed the information delightfully. He seemed excited by his twist in fate at least. Much less skeptical than Yami. Thank the gods for small favors. His list of charges were growing quickly, and so would the list of dangers soon he was sure.

The group looked so relieved and were enjoying each other's company from where he sat just a few meters off. So, at least it wouldn't be all darkness in the days ahead. Yes, would be plenty of light to guide them through the abyss they were quickly approaching.

There was one thing troubling Mahado however. _'I sensed a great darkness in that home. Was it all really from the program?'_ He shook off his worries for now. Ryou was an ally that much was obvious, so it must have. The two attacks so soon after the other had clearly put him on edge. He hoped.

_()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()_

Bakura sat at his computer desk, his room incredibly plain compared to the freak fest his brother enjoyed. It had its own share of ancient historical books on the shelves, but he was smart enough to hide the occult stuff out of sight. Aside from that and a strange golden item that resembled a dream catcher hanging above his room, there weren't many astounding traits about it.

Instead of on his computer, he led a floating orb mad of black and violet energy swirling between his hands. The image of a man with long pale hair reflected in the orb and Bakura shot the man a twisted smirk. The other was clearly unamused.

"So you failed again did you?" Bakura mocked. "Careful Pegasus, or our dear king will have you replaced."

Pegasus shot the other a glare. "Humph, I don't see how you have any right to talk, you're just a simple little spy after all."

Bakura shrugged. "Not for much longer. I seem to have impressed someone, apparently I should expect to be your equal very soon."

Pegasus didn't seem much happier at the news. He sipped the wine in his hand and waved the boy off. "Not sound decision if you ask me, but who am I to question his highness? Regardless, my next plan won't fail for sure. This time, I'm over seeing it personally instead of letting some incompetent lackey ruin everything."

"Be careful Pegasus not to underestimate the Senshi," Bakura warned playfully. "You play with fire and you might get burned." He clapped his hands together, bursting the orb between them, the shadows flying out around him in wisps before fading away. That fool would be out of the way soon enough most likely.

A grin covered his pale features and his eyes fell to a picture on the desk of two small boys with snow white hair, hands interwoven. "You may be of some use to me yet, dear brother."

* * *

><p><em><strong>(*)<strong>In Japan it's considered rude to call someone you don't know by their first name unless they personally prefer it that way. Even among friends some people still prefer their family name over their given name. An example of this is Jounouchi, who's first name is actually Katsuya. It's also rude to not use honorifics, but I know a lot of English readers find them tedious so I opted out of using them. _

**(*)**_This is a reference to the abridged series Yami Bakura who claims Cannibal Holocaust is his favorite movie. It's an extremely violent cult classic banned in several countries. Since I cut out the scene where Mahado goes into Bakura's room I put it in Ryou's room to keep the reference. In the manga Ryou is very interested in things related to the dark arts, the occult, and horror genre along with role playing games so I reflected this in his room. _

_**Episode 3 Preview: **Yami goes to mall with Yuugi and his friends and __Ryou takes Mahado to an exhibit on ancient Egypt at a local museum where they meet the department's head, a woman with unusual psychic powers. Rumors of a cursed bus surface, and both Senshi will end up on a far more deadly trip than they planned that day. Meanwhile midst the chaos a new Senshi reveals themselves._


	4. Episode 3: Game Master's Trials (Part 1)

**_AN: _**_Dear god and/or gods this chapter did not want to be written. Aside from realizing I had to cut it short to keep it from being longer than the entire story so far, AND separate it into a multi chapter arc, I had to go home for holidays and thanks to fighting with my family the entire time got absolutely no outlining or work done on it. Since I haven't updated in like a week I tried to hurry and get this written. This chapter's a bit short compared to the last, but this was the best stopping point for this part in the arc. Please Review and let me know it doesn't completely suck.__  
><em>

**_Contest: _**_This is probably a gimme guess, so first come first served. Who will be our version of Sailor Jupiter? This one will occur after some filler/development chapters so it'll be awhile. I doubt it will take anyone long to guess though since this one is probably the most obvious out of them all._

**_Disclaimer: _**_I now am the proud owner of twenty bucks. That's it. Whoopty-freaking-doo_

* * *

><p><strong>Game Master's Trials (Part 1)<strong>

_Within the depths of the shadow realm, seated on his golden throne, the Thief King mulled over the current failings of his henchman. Between his palms floated an orb made of pure dark energy. The scene of the battle in the library replayed over and over in the depths of the orb. His grip tightened around the trinket as he watched their soldier burst into dust at the hands of Sailor Ra and another Senshi who had been discovered. Their enemies were increasing by the day and they had yet to gather any energy._

_In a rage he squeezed the mass of solidified shadows with all his might and watched as cracks formed in the surface. They spread out before the orb exploded into tendrils of shadow that vanished in the air. He eyed the man kneeling below him on the obsidian floors. Pegasus wisely kept his gaze to the floor._

_"You promised me you would not fail again Pegasus," the dark monarch said in an eerily calm voice. "Yet here we are again. Twice in a row your lackeys have not only failed to gather any life energy, but managed to get themselves killed in the process." He rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward with his chin atop his folded hands. "Things aren't looking good for you are they?"_

_Pegasus inhaled and put up a mask of confidence. He knew better than to quake in his liege's presence. "My dear king, I'm quite aware of my failings." The snort from the Thief King was an insult he'd have to let stand. "I believe I've found an easy fix for what I've been doing wrong."_

_"Oh?" he asked, "and what would that be?"_

_"Taking the lackeys out of the equation," Pegasus lifted his head and shot a smirk at the man above him. "My dear king, let me face the Senshi on my own terms, and I will do what our lesser minions failed to."_

_The Thief King pondered it for a moment. Pegasus had failed twice, a third certainly wouldn't be tolerated. However, if he failed at this it would likely mean his death anyways. If Pegasus won the Senshi would be out of his hair and he'd be free to drain the life energy of the humans without interruption. If he lost, well it saved him the time of killing him himself. The situation was in his favor either way._

_"Your request is granted," he sat back in his throne. "If you can rid me of those pests, the rewards shall be lucrative." Pegasus smiled with faux politeness and stood, giving a small half bow._

_"Thank you my king," said Pegasus. "You won't regret this."_

_"Trust me, I know I won't," said the king with a wave of his hand. "Because if you fail me this time, you'll be the one regretting it."_

She gasped awake eyes shooting open and body springing forth. The silk sheets pooled around the waist of her nightdress while she sat up in bed looking around the room. Everything was normal, the unremarkable if oversized room a familiar sight to the young woman who'd just been startled awake.

With a relieved sigh she ran her fingers through damp raven hair. She'd broken out into a cold sweat during some point in the night, and there was still chills invading her body as a result. She'd live, these symptoms were nothing too physically taxing after all. The emotional effect was more substantial. There was a dire feeling in the pit of her belly that she couldn't will away.

_'Something is coming,'_ she thought.

There was a gentle knock at the door. The stiffness in her shoulders went down when a rumbling baritone came from behind it. "Is everything alright sister?" they asked. "You were making strange noises again."

"I'm fine Rishid," she called back to the man behind the door. "Sorry to worry you." There was no answer, and she took it as a sign that he surely didn't believe her. "You should go back to bed, tomorrow's a big day."

"Very well," the voice said resigned. "Sleep well Isis." She didn't answer, but listened to the steady patter of heavy footsteps walk down the hall and away from her door.

Alone again with no one to hear, she let her face fall forward into her palms. Her breaths were shaky and uneven. There was a darkness on the horizon, one she'd seen with her own eyes in small glimpses each time her eyes closed. Like a malevolent puzzle teasing her with a terrible full picture. Yes, tomorrow was going to be a big day for everyone.

_'More than you could ever guess my brothers,'_ she thought. _'Forgive me.'_

_()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()_

_BEEP BEEP BEEP!_

Yami rolled over in bed and reached out for the little black box of doom that was designed to wake him up each morning. A pale hand blindly reached out before remembering it was in fact on his dresser on the other side of the room. The teenager was thrown from his peaceful slumber already, now the continuous loud beeps of the alarm were doing little more than making his already severe headache that much worse. He groaned in pain and pulled the covers over his head, including the untamed spikes of hair.

The beeps came to an abrupt halt and Yami relaxed. That was much better. The soreness in his muscles didn't go away, and his head ache was still quite present, but at least he could try to get some sleep now. Why had he even set that alarm anyways? He vaguely registered the mattress sinking down next to him and a warm weight curling up beside him.

He snuggled his head against the heat source and felt something warm and firm wrap around his frame. It was nice until his half asleep mind became lucid enough to realize how close to a person what he was snuggling up to felt like, and that there definitely shouldn't be anyone in his bed. His eyes snapped open and were met with tight black fabric around a thin torso.

"Finally awake?" Yuugi teased. The boy wrapped his arms more firmly around his friend and squirmed in a nuzzling motion into his hair. "Did you know you're pretty cuddly when you're half asleep?" Yuugi laughed half-heartedly.

Yami could feel the blood rushing to his face, and possibly other parts considering he was a teenage boy waking up first thing in the morning with someone wrapped around him. Someone who he happened to be very attracted to. The comfortable warmth had shifted to an unbearable heat.

_'By whatever deities exist, why me?' _he internally groaned.

He did his best to wriggle free of Yuugi's grasp, much to the other's amusement. Then he moved his body in what was clearly the wrong way and let out a pained moan, falling back towards the mattress. His body ached something terrible and the mini wrestling match with Yuugi had reminded him just how sore he was. All less innocent feelings fled in the wake of pain.

"Yami!" Yuugi exclaimed removing himself from the other. "Sorry, I forgot…"

"Its fine Aibou," Yami said curling into the covers pathetically. "It's not your fault. Mahado said I'll heal faster than a normal human would anyways."

"Considering a normal human would have needed to go to the hospital that doesn't really sound comforting," Yuugi said. "She stomped on your spine."

"And kicked me below the ribs, don't forget that part," he snorted.

"Please don't remind me," Yuugi said. He frowned and drew his brows together. "It's a good thing Ryou turned out to be a Senshi, or you could have ended up a lot worse." Yuugi really couldn't bring himself to say the obvious. Dead. For all the other's annoying complaints about him being in danger, Yami had come out the most damaged both fights so far.

Mentioning Ryou startle Yami's memory back into action.

He suddenly pictured the moment after the battle and clean up from the other day. Ryou's smiling face with his hands clapped together excitedly in the school hallway, no longer transformed. Mahado and Yami exasperatedly talking to him.

_"This is, amazing! A Senshi, you said it's called? I can't believe something like this actually happened to me. I mean you read about stuff like this in fiction and everything –well not the kind I read, but hopefully this won't turn out as frightening as those!"_

_ He'd taken it a lot better than Yami had, which was why he'd brought up a fairly valuable point during that conversation. "Ryou I don't think you understand how dire this situation is, you were seriously injured today. You could get hurt even worse in the future. This isn't a fairytale Ryou, it's a war."_

_Of course Mahado had made his own suggestion. "We should continue this tomorrow, you'll both need rest after such a difficult battle. We'll meet up tomorrow morning and help Ryou become more informed about what's expected of him as a Senshi."_

Yami rushed up, throwing the covers away, and immediately regretted it. He shouted out and gripped his sides in agony. Yuugi crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at the other. "Yami be careful! Don't strain yourself with sudden movement."

"I forgot about the meeting," yami responded like that explained everything. "Ryou and Mahado are probably -"

"Already left without you," Yuugi interrupted. "You were so sore all day after the fight and yesterday Mahado said it was probably best you just took a day to yourself. He's taking Ryou somewhere to talk to him on his own, so don't worry about it okay?"

That was unexpected. With how pushy the cat had been the other day for him to go after Ryou he wouldn't expect Mahado to actually let him take a sick day. Sort of. More like a pain day. Still, Yami appreciated it either way. A thought crossed his mind.

"Staying still in bed all day won't do me any favors," he muttered half to himself.

"Well," Yuugi hesitated. "You could come with me to the mall?" He wasn't sure if Yami really needed to be up walking around for a few hours, but if he needed something to do then it wasn't a bad option. He could sit down in the stores while they shopped and they could spend enough time at the food court halfway through. "I'm going with Jou, Anzu and Honda in about an hour. If you can handle it."

Yami considered it. He hadn't really gotten to see any of his old friends since he'd been here, or spend a day with Yuugi that didn't involve some sort of mystical conspiracy. The mall might be a welcome relief, and not too physically taxing.

"That sounds nice," he replied.

Yuugi gave a gentle pat to his shoulder, wary of pressing too hard. "Great! I'll make sure Anzu knows not to make you carry any bags."

"Even better," Yami dead panned before both boys burst into joyous laughter.

_()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()_

Ryou sat in the furthest seat on the buses right side with Mahado wrapped in his arms and seated on the teenager's lap. The bus was astonishingly empty for a city bus, only a group of junior high age children sitting up front whispering among themselves. One would peak their head out from their seat and quickly look around before ducking back into their seat. It was odd, but ignorable for the moment. The drive through the city was quite peaceful as a result.

Mahado nudged Ryou with his tail. "Won't it be difficult for us to talk going to a public place like this?" He made sure to whisper and avoid any strange looks from the bus driver and children up front should they overhear.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that much," said Ryou. His head hung low. "The other day there was an incident, children went missing at the museum and they had to close it down all day almost. It was all over the news yesterday. They're open today, but it's the middle of the work week and with the bad publicity I can't see them being packed full today."

Children missing? Mahado wasn't the type to believe in coincidences, and something like that on the same day as their battle in the library just seemed too much like one. "What happened?"

Ryou shrugged. "No one really knows, the police didn't want any details released. It's all incredibly sad, but I figured it'd be an appropriate setting for this talk." The whitette had of course seen it on the television and found it unnerving like everyone else who'd seen the broad cast most likely did. There was also a vague feeling of needing to go there himself that had driven him to suggest it.

The bus stopped in front of the paved walkway to the Domino City Museum. A large white building that stretched out with its name written vertically in Kanji down a sign one of the brick pillars holding the walkway roof up. A structure reminiscent of a Greek temple sat atop the walkway and stretched beyond it over the museum roof. Ryou exited the bus alone aside from the cat in his arms. They walked down the path only passing two people, both leaving the museum grounds and heading to the recently arrived bus.

They stepped through the doors onto floors covered in expensive tiles. The front lobby had a few cheap paintings on the walls near the signs pointing to the directions of the various exhibits and a half circle desk out front with a security guard slouching behind it reading a magazine. Ryou noticed the distracted security guard and did his best to walk past him without being noticed. He casually strolled to the right corridors where according to the kanji on the sign the "Discovering Egypt" exhibit was located. Ryou barely took his first step in the corridor when something gripped his shoulder.

He turned to see a boy about his age holding onto him. Dark skinned with contrasting blond hair and lilac eyes, he clearly wasn't Japanese. "Normally we don't allow pets." Despite the latter observation his pronunciation of the language was perfect with only bare hints of a foreign accent. He gave Ryou a once over and smirked with his arms crossed over his chest, hip cocked out to the side. "We've been told to make an exception for you though." He was heavily decorated in golden jewelry up his arms, around his neck, and hanging from his ears, and wearing clothes Ryou wouldn't have thought were for boys if he'd seen them in a store.

Mahado tilted his head in Ryou's arms. There was an unusual aura around the newcomer that made his fur stand on ends. Something dangerous, and yet holy all at once. He was glad they apparently weren't going to be told to leave. He'd thought taking a cat to a museum wouldn't go over so well, but Ryou had insisted on it vehemently. Mahado hadn't the slightest idea why, the pale teenager still came off as unusual to him.

"Hey," the dusky boy called to the security guard. "Good to know you're watching over our _priceless artifacts _so diligently."

The security guard's head popped up from the magazine and he straightened himself out in a flurry. He cleared his throat giving the teenager full attention. "Ishtar, I didn't know you were coming in today." The boy in question didn't seem to like that answer and the guard squirmed under his intense gaze. Ryou noted this guy held power in this setting, despite his age.

"I wasn't supposed to, but my sister insisted," He commented. He placed a hand on the guard's desk looking down at him. "She also insists you turn the security footage off in the Egyptian exhibit until further notice."

"Sure thing Malik," The guard replied. Moving over to the computer in front of him, he typed away for a few seconds before turning back to the teen. "There." He scooted his chair closer the side of the half circle Malik was leaning on and shot a dopey grin up at him. "You know, if you don't want to run errands for Isis you could always hang around here with me?"

Malik turned away from him. "I'd rather choke on my own vomit, which incidentally might actually happen if you came anywhere near me." He said in a mocking tone. "Also, it's Ishtar, not Isis or Malik. Not to you, and if your ever even think of hitting on me Rishid will be up here faster than you can start pretending to actually do your work. Got it?" The guard nodded meekly, not that Malik saw as his attention had already shifted to the white haired teen and the cat.

He put his hand on Ryou again, and the boy had half a mind to protest before the other was dragging him off by his arm. The grip wasn't too rough, but it wasn't something he could easily just shrug off either. A few meters down the hall when the sign for the Feudal Japan exhibit came into view Ryou started to struggle from the grip. Mahado hissed at Malik, most normal people were at least bothered enough to back away whenever he showed aggression like a typical feline. Malik refused to let up and just kept pulling him along.

"I don't care if you have personal space issues or what," He said. "You or the magical cat."

Ryou yanked his arm out of the other's hold and Mahado sat shell shocked, mouth hanging open. Malik found it all too amusing, and the smug look he gave them did little to hide it.

"Sorry was that supposed to be a secret?" Malik teased. There was no ounce of genuine sorrow in his posture or voice. Just another way to insult them and rub his knowledge in their face. It was so arrogant, and Ryou was quickly losing his normally vast patience.

Ryou glared at the boy. "Why don't you tell us what's going on and how you know that instead of playing with us?"

"I'm a sadist," he shrugged. "Also that's not my job."

"Then what is your job?" Mahado spoke up. An intense moment passed between them before Malik responded. Neither could tell whether it was genuine hesitance or another method of toying with them on the dusky skinned boy's part.

"To bring you to my sister so she can explain things," with those words Malik fell silent.

He curled his finger twice in a motion to beckon them forward. The boy led them further into the museum exhibits. Ryou and Mahado shared a glance before Ryou began to slowly follow Malik's lead. They stayed a good distance behind him while they passed the old cases of samurai armor and old time kimonos. Most of what was around them was little more than a blur in their periphery. They focused on their unusual guide and his movements through the building.

Malik didn't once look back to make sure they were following or glance at the signs directing them through the hallways. Every turn was taken with confidence that he knew where he was going, and that the two guests were following. He led them through Ancient Greece, the Egyptian exhibit just around the corner where the reconstructed chariot was propped up behind velvet rope. The group walked into a large room with plaques all across the walls written in Japanese for the visitors to read.

Behind the ropes to the right was a sarcophagus in a Plexiglas case with several pieces of jewelry and pottery surrounding it in similar cases. A few items of clothing and day to day items with facts posted up next to them were off to the left. The center piece of the exhibit was obviously the giant stone protected by glass and a steel frame on the back wall. Hieroglyphs and detailed pictures were carved into it and only slightly worn from age.

A woman stood with her back to them facing the stone. From the back they could see long dark hair and a conservative dress covering most of her body aside from slipping around her shoulders. "I would ask how you enjoyed my brother's hospitality, but I know better." Malik rolled his eyes.

"You should have sent Rishid then," he countered. "I brought them here, can I go now?"

"Yes," her voice held the same tinge of an accent as Malik. "But do not leave the museum yet."

"Great," sighed Malik. He walked out of the room grumbling to himself, but the woman who they assumed to be his sister, paid it no attention. After her brother had left she turned to face her guests.

She was a very young and beautiful woman with the same foreign skin tone as Malik, but that was where the similarities ended. Her eyes were a deep blue, unlike her violet eyed, blond brother. She was clearly the more modest of the two with her dress compared to Malik's leather pants and bright lavender shirt that didn't quite cover his entire midriff.

"I've been expecting you Bakura Ryou," She stated. She stepped closer to them and Mahado flattened his ears on his head. "And you to of course," she stood right before them and gave a small half bow. "Former Priest Mahado."

"Who are you?" asked Mahado. The cat gasped when she rose back up. Up close like this, they noticed something they had failed to from a distance. A golden tauk in the center of long golden beads around her neck.

"My name is Isis Ishtar," she replied, "and I've been waiting for you."

"Waiting for us?" Ryou blurted out. "You knew we were coming, how?"

"The tauk," Mahado answered. Ryou looked down at the tauk, it gave him a feeling of déjà vu. The energies more prominent then before.

Isis placed her hand over it. "Yes, the Millennium Tauk. An item of power formerly owned by the priests of Aknamkanon, the very Pharaoh who founded your order young Senshi." Ryou's eyes went wide. This woman knew he was a Senshi? She chuckled. "No worries young one, I am but a humble servant of the gods. This gives me the power to see their prophecies and determine the future, or even gaze into the past if the Tauk is willing to show me."

The way she spoke of it was almost as if it were alive. Not that it'd be a surprise. There was something vaguely organic about its aura. Ryou found it fascinating like the other things related to his new role as a Senshi thus far. The woman said she was a servant of the gods, and if what little Mahado revealed to him was correct, so were the Senshi.

"Are you one of us?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, as I said, I am a mere servant. Protecting the secrets of these items and your order like generations of my family have before me. My purpose is to guide you, just like your friend here."

Mahado took that moment as his cue to leap from Ryou's arms and trot over to the Egyptian woman.

"I take it the Tauk has forebode our visit then," it wasn't a question, and Isis felt no need to respond to it as such.

"More than that," She said. "Destiny has begun to weave its threads, and we are all entangled. Before I go on, we must make sure this one is informed of what lies in store for him." She motioned to Ryou. "That is why you brought him, isn't it?"

Mahado gave a nod. Isis brought them over to a stone bench and Ryou sat down next to her, Mahado leaping up in between the two humans. Mahado cleared his throat and Isis let her eyes flutter close and lowered her head like the words about to be uttered were sacred. Maybe they were to her. "It all began thousands of years ago."

()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()

Malik strolled into the front lobby while his sister played prophet with the cat and the albino. His hands were gripping the edge of his pants, since he lacked and pockets to bury them in, and his shoulders slouched. The Egyptian teen wasn't looking forward to hanging out in the museum for another few hours at least. More importantly, running into the guard up front again.

_'Ugh I hate when I get hit on at work, I'm a professional to damn it!' _Not that anyone here actually took him nearly as seriously as they did Isis or Rishid, just because he was young and little rambunctious sometimes.

The half circle desk came into view and the guard sat slumped over on the hard surface. Malik glared at the limp form. Again? Clenching his hands tighter he sped up his pace and stood next to the sleeping guard.

"Are you kidding me?!" he yelled. Part of him was genuinely mad, and the other just wanted to see a grown man jump up in terror like a cornered bunny. "Didn't I just get on to you for slacking off?" There was no movement from the guard. The idiot was dead asleep.

Malik reached out and shoot the man. "Wake up idiot!" The heavy body fell over revealing a wrinkled and sunken face with gaping black holes where the eyes once were. Malik jumped back and the body fell to the floor withering away into dust. All that was left was a uniform filled with a grainy dust that smelled like decayed flesh.

Malik coughed violently and brought his hands to his face to shield his nostrils. It burned his eyes and involuntary tears leaked out as a response. The only other dead bodies he'd consciously been exposed to were the mummies, and they had barely any odor aside from lingering spices. They also weren't people he saw on a day to day basis.

Malik took off as fast as he could back towards Isis and their guest's direction. He promptly pushed back from a hard surface blocking him. A shadow came over him and a man looked down at the boy with a cruel grin on his face. His grey eyes were blank and void of any life, and his black hair greasily clung to his face. He was sickly pale and freakishly tall. The smell of death surrounded him. Malik felt nauseous just being close to him.

The blond gagged from the unexpected strengthening in the smell and the man took the moment to grab onto his tanned arms. "Aww, so cruel. But the pretty ones always are, aren't they?"

"A-are you going to kill me?" Malik managed to get out after his sickness passed over. The normally cocky boy felt dread overcome him. He felt a fear of being found over decayed and frail enough to crumble to dust just from falling over like the guard.

"Tch. You wouldn't be very useful dead."

()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()

They arrived at the mall about twenty minutes after leaving the shop. The large crowd's weren't a surprise. The fifth day of the summer break had teenagers rushing in and it wasn't likely to change any time over the next thirty-five.(*) The loud noises of people talking and even the entertainment playing music were audible even outside and the flashing neon kanji advertising the mall and it's various services nearly blinding.

Yami and Yuugi strode over to the entrance and caught sight of three teenagers their age waiting around. Anzu was clearly the look out, standing up straight gazing at the parking lot, and was the first to notice the two approaching. Her face broke out into a huge smile while Jounouchi stood leaning on the large pillars next to a garbage can and nearly full ashtray. A brunette with his hair gelled to spike forward stood close.

"Yuugi, Yami!" Greeted Anzu, and the two boys straightened out after noticing them also. Jounouchi scooped his smaller best friend into his arms, and the other shouted out halfhearted protests. "Glad you made it! Oh, and you to man." He added the last bit when he met eyes with Yami. The brunette just waved. "Heard you were back in town."

Yami didn't have to worry about the rather tight embrace Jounouchi was sharing with Yuugi, he'd accepted the closeness of that friendship long ago. In no small part due to his own bond with the larger blond. The way he was swinging the other around like a rag doll might become a problem if he accidentally let go however.

"Only for the summer break," he informed the third member of the group. "Good to see you again Honda." Honda just reached out and gripped the other's hand without waiting for him to accept it.

"You to. Things haven't been nearly as exciting with you gone." A shriek from the smaller boy as Jounouchi actually did almost drop him just to catch him back in time broke the atmosphere.

"Idiot! Quit swinging him around like a toy!" Anzu shouted with her hand on her hips.

"Okay, geese you'd think after all these years you'd be a bit nicer to me," Jounouchi grumbled as he set his friend down. Yuugi was still a bit to dizzy to comment and stumbled.

Anzu promptly smacked the back of his head and the boy emitted a dramatic 'ow'. "I start doing that and you end up in a ditch within a week."

"Nosy woman-OWW!"(*)

The group made it inside the mall without further incident after a last smack from the spirited girl with them. They went straight for the food court on the second floor, at Jounouchi's request of course, and all agreed on a sushi bar in the center. Money was promptly handed to Yuugi who was tasked with ordering for everyone and paying after losing rock paper scissors to both Honda and Yami. The group managed to find and empty table near the corner in the back. Anzu sat between Honda and Jounouchi at the round steel table with a seat in between Jounouchi and Yami reserved for their small friend ordering everyone's food.

The other three soon fell into familiar chatter while Yami did little more than stare at the napkin dispenser. He listened to them, and smiled at a couple of the things Jou and Honda said and the way Anzu pretended not to be just as amused by them. The tri colored teen was still sore, some of it from this morning faded, but still sort of stiff in the shoulders and in his lower back. It was distracting. Honda was the first one to direct the conversation to Yami, and caught him off guard.

"Hey, you gone mute?" He joked.

Yami perked up a bit waving the comment off. "I just don't have a lot to talk about I guess."

"You've been living in _Tokyo _that has to be exciting," Anzu said.

Yami hummed. "I guess, it's really not that much different from Domino. My favorite mall there is a bit bigger than here, it doesn't have live music though, it plays videos on a big screen in the center." He referred to the back playing on the first floor on the large stage near the gold lined fountain.

"That sounds awesome," Honda said. Yami just shrugged in turn.

He guessed it was Jounouchi's turn as Jou clapped a hand on his shoulder. Yami suppressed the groan building in his throat but visibly cringed at the pain from the otherwise harmless action. The soreness was worse when touched, especially when practically play slapped by a muscular brawler.

"Let's step away for a bit, I need to talk to you about something," Jou gripped him and started to drag him off.

"Jou what about the food?" Honda called out to his friend.

"I'll be back in a minute, it can wait!" Jou shouted back at the other two. Needless to say everyone was quite startled to hear that declaration from Jounouchi. He drug Yami past the food court and over to the railing near the businesses right past it. They were a few meters away from the spa next to a small clothing store for girls.

Jou put his weight over the rails and Yami stood off next to him. The blond let go of the other and his cheer melted into a more serious expression.

"You guys aren't still fighting, right?"

Yami had a feeling Yuugi had told his friend about the fight from the other day. That didn't make him any less uncomfortable to talk to Jounouchi about it. He was probably the only person as protective of their shared friend as himself.

"Not anymore, we worked it out," he started. "Sort of." They hadn't really spoken about it after making up the other day. Everything seemed alright now, but he doubted the subject wouldn't come up again. Not with the pattern of getting attacked by monsters every other day.

Jou didn't press any further. "Good, you guys aren't any good like that. So what's wrong then?"

"Just sore, I tripped down the stairs yesterday and pulled a few muscles," Yami lied. It was what he and Yuugi had agreed as their cover if the subject of Yami's pain came up.

"Uh huh sure," Jou drew out the last part dramatically. "You forget I used to get in quite a few brawls back in the day. If you're minds focused on the pain that much, it's something you earned. Not necessarily deserved, but you get the picture."

Yami tried to find an out for this conversation. There was no way they were ready to tell Jou about this. Yuugi obviously hadn't told him the context of their fight the other day if he couldn't guess the context of the pain. Also, Jou's loud mouth would have been spewing questions at Yami all day after forcing his friend to drag him over to him if he'd found out. Telling Jounouchi now would end up causing a scene and putting the other in unnecessary danger.

He didn't have to think long when something else caught his friend's attention. "Hey what the hell are you doing?!" Jou shouted suddenly. Yami saw what the commotion was over near the spa. A woman wearing an employee uniform pulling a small, crying child in the elementary school girl's uniform into the space. The strange part was that none of the other customer's seemed to notice and walked on by.

She looked shocked and turned her head. Like she was expecting them to be talking to someone else. With a glare she pulled the little girl in and the tiny girl screamed. It might have passed for someone dealing with a difficult child if not for how violently she pulled her in or the terror in the little's girl's screams.

"Someone stop her!" Jou called out. Again no one responded or even noticed the shouting teen. "Bastards! Spineless bastards!" With that angry decree Jou ran straight into the spa after the woman. Yami followed closely behind. This didn't seem right, and that instinct hadn't been wrong yet since Yuugi brought home a strange little stray cat with a sun on its forehead.

The spa looked like a normal spar from the outside, with waiting chairs and a cashier desk with a small bonsai tree on it visible from outside. Relaxing music inside it and the walls a neutral beige. The second they walked through they stumbled out into the doorway and saw a deep abyss waiting below them.

"What is this?!" Jounouchi exclaimed. "A spirit? A trickster?!" He flailed losing his balance more and more. Yami attempted to grab onto the other on the ledge with him and keep him steady.

"Jounouchi don't!" He tried. The problem was he remembered the other being extremely superstitious and afraid when it came to the supernatural.

"We can't let it take us!" he screamed full blown panic over taking him. He tried to move away and only succeeded in trampling their last semblance of balance and tipping them both over.

Both screamed gripping onto each other as they plummeted into the depths below.

()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()

Yuugi struggled with eight Styrofoam cartons of sushi - three of which were for Jounouchi- in his arms. He walked around the food court trying to catch a glimpse of where his friends were sitting among the dozens of tables full of other shoppers. Finally after about three minutes he spotted Anzu and Honda, but not Yami or Jounouchi. Strange for Yami to be up and moving, and even stranger for Jou to go anywhere when food was coming.

He walked over to the table and set the food down to the cheers of his other two friends who began to shift through the cartons to find their orders. Yuugi reached into his pockets and put the change in the center of the table leaving them to figure out how much of it they were each owed.

"Where's Yami and Jounouchi?" he asked them.

Anzu pulled her temaki out of its plastic wrap and brought it to her lips between her fingers. "They just ran off, I think I spotted them near the spa a minute ago." She took a bite from the cone shaped sushi and Honda nodded in response as he picked up his own piece of tekkamaki.

Yuugi nearly brushed it off reaching for the remaining cartons to find his own order. He froze in place.

_'The last time I spoke to Jou was when Yami and I were fighting.'_ Jounouchi had drug the other off…alone. Oh no. Yuugi felt a surge of anxiety at the thought of his best friend threatening Yami. More for Jounouchi's sake than Yami's. Then there was the more nerve wracking option. Jou could be telling him how he really felt in some well-meaning gesture typical for the blabber mouth.

Yuugi dropped the carton he was looking through and took off running towards the spa. He ignore the sounds of Anzu and Honda calling after him. The spa came into view and he looked around frantically for any sign of his friends. Secretly begging whoever was listening that his best friend didn't completely embarrass him…or piss Yami off. Either would end just as bad probably.

They weren't anywhere in sight, Yuugi wouldn't have thought they'd stray this far from the group. A small glint caught his eyes from the ground. Attached to a piece of pale grey, the color of Yami's jacket, something was shining on the ground. He crouched and picked the small item up.

A tiny golden pin with the eye of Horus engraved into it sat in his hand. It was Yami's transformation pin. Without Yami anywhere in sight. The pin was dropped right in front of the spa entrance and as Yuugi stared into the quaint room, it began to feel ominous. The same feeling you get when you knew someone was lying right to your face. Whatever happened to his friends, he was sure the key to it was in the spa.

_'Yami, Jou…I'm coming.'_

The teenager ran through the spa entrance and vanished the moment he stepped over the doorway. Just as he leaped into the same abyss as his friends a pair of striking blue eyes caught sight of him vanishing into the spa. A brunette eyebrow rose in interest and an impossibly tall figure walked towards the spa.

()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()

Isis and Mahado recanted the tale of the Pharaoh and the founding of the Senshi to the Japanese boy who listened dutifully the entire time. Isis explained her own role to assist him and his order with her prophecies, and Mahado tried to get the point across about the dangers and perils to come. The last part still wasn't going as well as he would have liked. The pale boy's eyes continued to light up and his excitement from before was tenfold now.

"I have another question," Ryou said.

"What?" Mahado groaned. Isis placed a hand on his head in an encouraging gesture. He lacked any proper shoulders to do it right.

"The shield of words I made, and the thing I did with the mist, can I do that all the time now?" He asked.

"Those are the powers gifted to you by Thoth," Isis explained. "The scribe god of wisdom, and the moon. As his Senshi the power of the sacred words of protection and illusion over the mind are at your disposal. These are only the beginning of what you'll come to learn Ryou."

"Amazing," Ryou said in awe.

Mahado was certain they'd gotten the point across as well as they could with this one. His obsession with the occult dulled him to the sense of peril that would be normal for this situation. To Ryou it was likely that all of this was something for him to learn about and dig into like his supernatural mysteries, games, and historical texts. It made so much sense for him to be Thoth's when Mahado really thought about it.

"Isis!" A deep voice shouted from the next exhibit over. All three turned toward the direction the shout came from. Isis' cool demeanor broke in favor of concern. A large man with heavy footsteps ran into the room. His complexion was similar to the two Ishtar sibling's but marred by a large tattoo over half of his face.

"Rishid?" She said running over to the man who clasped her hands in his own. "You frightened us, brother what's wrong?" Ryou and Mahado vaguely recalled Malik threatening the security guard with a Rishid. No wonder the guard was so terrified if this was Malik's older brother.

"Malik, he's been taken," Isis didn't look remotely shocked when the word's left his mouth. Just resigned, and sad.

"Ryou, go," she told the Senshi.

"What? Sister we can't-"

"This is out of our hands Rishid!" She brought his hand to the Tauk. "The gods have shown me their will, and it must be carried out." Rishid didn't argue, but wasn't happy from the way he tensed up. "The back lot, behind the museum with the broken down bus."

Mahado took off and Ryou followed confused as to what was happening. Was this related to the Shadow Realm, and what did she mean it was the will of the gods?

"Save him," she pleaded from the distance and Ryou decided his questions weren't the priority. Helping a young man no older than himself with a worried heart was the important thing.

"We can't let Isis lose her brother," Ryou said. His eyes narrowed and it was spoken with finality. Mahado noticed something in the boy's eyes, something personal. The cat lead the way for the human as they ran through the halls. After a left and several corridors and rooms straight they caught sight of an emergency exit near what had to be the back of the museum. Neither could describe for the life of them what they'd passed by in their rush.

They shoved through the exit, the alarm not going off and into the fenced of back depot area. A few large delivery sized trucks were parked side by side, a dumpster off the other side, and a large city bus near the back fence wall.

"That bus," Ryou said. "It's the one from the news."

"Are you sure?" Mahado asked.

Ryou gave a sharp nod. "I'm certain, they described every detail of it on the news yesterday. I remember there was a public warning sent out about it because they couldn't find it registered in the transport system."

"So you didn't know then?" A sickly looking man stepped out from behind one of the delivery trucks. He flashed his yellow teeth at them in a sick grin. Isis's brother was gripped tightly in his arms and held against him. The teenager tried moving away but only ended up being able to squirm place as the man wasn't even shifted.

"He did it!" Malik shouted. "He's been using that fake bus to kidnap children that wandered off at the museum, you have to stop him!" He pressed his arms over his chest tighter and Malik hacked and gasped for air.

"I thought I told you," he warned in a sickly sweet voice. He mock whispered into Malik's ear. "You're here to be seen not heard, and how do you expect that kid to stop me anyways?"

Ryou took the chance while he was distracted to pull out his pen from his jean pocket and raise it above himself. "Thoth Power!" He shouted at the top of his lungs waving the pen around his now iridescent nude form and the blue light left by the pen materialized into his Senshi uniform.

"I'm not a kid," Ryou stated at the man. "I'm Sailor Thoth, solider of wisdom, in the name of Thoth repent!"(*) He pointed dramatically at the man who in turned busted into laughter.

"You think I don't know who you are Senshi?" He sneered. He threw the boy in his arms across the lot and against a fence. Malik let out a shout of pain as the edge of the fence scratched his shoulder. It was a small graze, but the impact was bruising.

"Malik!" Called Mahado running over to the boy. Malik rolled onto his side on the ground looking over at the two facing off. "Are you alright?"

"You have to get help," Malik groaned. "Ryou can't take him on his own, he's too powerful."

"And Thoth's champion isn't an offensive fighter," Mahado finished the thought in concern. Ryou's power was his utilize his mind and to protect, he had no specialty in destruction. Why would Isis insist they come alone then?

"The bus," Ryou thought out loud, "and taking Malik, it was all bait."

"You nibbled a lot faster than I thought," The man said his skin going even paler to a glowing pallor, his teeth elongating into uneven fangs, and his limbs stretching to even more impossibly long lengths. His hair grew several meters long and floated around flicking out like dirty whips.

Ryou readied himself when a lock of hair grew and launched at him. The Senshi placed his hands forward. "Barrier of lesser words!" He called forth his shield, hieroglyphs creating a dome of floating protection around him. The mirrored off the surface of the dome, but the dome suddenly started to crack and something sizzled against it. There was something dripping from the locks of hair, and it was now on Ryou's shield slowly eating away at it.

"Humph, foolish boy," he said. "The pestilence from my hair can rot anything. A weak level shield like that will crumble easily. More strands of black hair wrapped around the dome, surrounding the boy inside.

Ryou was trapped, and his shield was getting thinner. The moment the substance broke through the hair would get to him, and he'd be dead. "Mahado!" He shouted urgently. He remembered last time he transformed, he'd only been in danger as Ryou. After he'd transformed, he'd helped defeat the monster easily.

"No!" Shouted Malik next to the guardian near the fence. "That things killing him!" Rage covered the bond's face and he leaped up running towards the monster.

"Malik!" Mahado called to the boy. When Malik turned his head Mahado saw the image of the lion's head glowing on Malik's forehead. Sweeping his tail quickly and wrapping it around the red version of the transformation pen with a golden lioness where the ibis was on Ryou's pen, he launched the pen towards Malik. "Catch!"

Malik stopped and grabbed the pen. Noting the lion's head he looked to Mahado. "Sekhmet?" Rather than waiting for an answer he raised the pen and yelled at the top of his lungs. "Sekhmet Power!"

Malik's body took on the same bare and glowing form as the other Senshi when they transformed. The sickness monster and Mahado stared on in differing forms of awe. The monster in mild fear and Mahado with the same gaze of hope when he'd thrown the pen to Ryou to help Yami.

Fire swirled around in streams from the pen breaking off to spin around Malik head, body and limbs. The fire spun closer and closer, wrapping around his arms adding red jewels to the center of each golden arm band he wore. Golden anklets and sandals made from a mosaic of beads and raised at the sides formed as the flames faded from his legs. Sleeveless robes similar to the other Senshi with a red hem at the bottom ending halfway between his thighs and knees, and a high neckline tucked under his neckbands appeared on his body and a single golden belt with a small lion's head clasp around his small waist. The final piece, a diadem like Ryou's made of the same gold as his other pieces and with a red gem in the center.

The fire faded completely and Malik stood firm. "I'm Sailor Sekhmet, solider of fire and war, in the name of Sekhmet I will destroy you!"

The monster tried to get rid of Ryou, more of the destructive substance pouring down to melt away at the now paper thin barrier. Ryou, only having heard what was going on, and his vision blocked by the hair, prayed that he was saved in time.

"Disgusting creature of pestilence," Malik said wrinkling his nose and holding up his hand. "Sekhmet's power exorcises you." A fireball shaped like a lion's head appeared in his hand and he threw it at the creature. "Sekhmet's holy flare!" He threw it at the creature and it shouted in agony when the fire hit it right in the back. Fire swirled around it, creating first and second degree burns across its flesh. Most importantly was the ooze had vanished from its hair and around Ryou's shield.

"But how?!" It cried.

Malik scoffed. "Sekhmet is the goddess who exorcises evil spirits of plague and curses them upon people. Your power's completely worthless against me."

He growled and shrieked with each movement running towards the abandoned bus. Malik took off running. "Sailor Thoth, we can't let him get away."

"R-right," Ryou said getting up.

"So move your ass and follow him before I set your pretty hair on fire albino!" Malik yelled. The two boys ran onto the bus, their feline companion following behind them.

"Wait boys this could be a," all three walked into an endless pit of abyss after a few steps onto the bus falling into the darkness. "TRAP!"

()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()

His feet landed flatly onto the ground after the darkness he'd fallen through faded away. Sand crunched beneath his feet and the smell of salt assaulted his senses. The waves gently caressed the shoreline where six bodies lay strewn across it unconsciously. Two were in Senshi uniforms, Thoth and Sekhmet, and two he recognized as a civilian Sailor Ra and his companion. The last were the feline guardian and an unknown boy with wheat colored hair. Ahead of them was a vast terrain of both rocky mountainous hills and a lush forest in different directions.

Seth's dark coat billowed in the wind and he stood before the group left asleep by the trip here. "Reveal yourselves creatures."

From tendrils of shadow emerged a monster of pestilence and a woman whose body was green like the plants to the left route. Her eyes honey yellow and wooden twigs protruding from her skin and forming sharp, wooden hands. The sickness monster was weak and covered in minor burns, both looking upon Seth in confusion.

"How did you resist the darkness?" The woman said in her demonic voice. "Why didn't it pull you into slumber?"

Seth smirked cockily. "Pathetic whelps, the night is my god's domain and the darkness welcomes me. Your incompetence is why you'll die on this beach." A shining blue rose appeared in his hand and he raised it. A grin formed on his masked face.

"You arrogant little cur!" the male one shouted. "You won't stand in our way." His hair flecked out around him. There was no actual rot dripping from it, that and the burns told him who had injured him. The woman hadn't even fought, so there was at least one capable opponent.

_'I enjoy a challenge,'_ Seth thought.

"Let me guess," he said raising the rose under the sunlight. "You planned to round up and slaughter the unconscious Senshi after luring them into this place like lambs to the slaughter? If you weren't my enemy I'd congratulate you on such a good plan. Unfortunately for you, you are, and I'm getting bored with talking. Time to die monsters."

They plant woman charged her branch like hands becoming sharper and longer and the male's hair extending straight towards Seth. The masked man threw his rose onto the ground in front of them, a chaotic burst of white light stunning them as they wreathed in agony. Once it cleared the hair that had been burned off of the male monster slowly began to regrow and the plant woman looked even more feral and slightly singed by the light.

Seth reached down for his waist and pulled out his golden scepter pointing it at the two monsters.

_'Let the game begin.'_

* * *

><p>(*)Japanese summer break is 28-40 days long depending on how they schedule it, I realized after a reviewer pointed it out that not everyone would be aware of this. I'm going max at 40. Also Japanese malls are freaking awesome, they might have themes, live entertainment, and day spas built in and other ways to draw in customers.<p>

(*)Remember the Manga when Anzu had a likable personality where she took crap from no one, constantly put the boys in their place, and didn't bitch about friendship every episode? Good times. Nosy woman is also what Jounouchi and Honda call her after she stops them from bullying Yuugi in the first chapter of the manga.

(*)Yep, i gave them the Senshi battle cries like in the show. Don't act like you didn't think it was awesome when you heard 'In the name of he moon I will punish you' as a kid. You didn't care that it was cheesy and campy, because it was Sailor Moon and you don't question the Sailor Scouts.

**Episode 3 (Part 2) Preview: **_Seth battles against the monster who lured the Senshi for their lives, and everyone is thrown into a deadly series of games set up by the agent of the shadows called Pegasus J. Crawford, a twisted game master who intends to destroy the Senshi once and for all. With a brand new Senshi, two barely trained Senshi, two civilians, and a begrudging ally they know little about, can they hope to band together to survive?_


	5. Game Master's Trial's (Part 2)

_**AN:** *brain dead* please review and tell me what you think. Hope you guys enjoy this, I worked super hard on it, as you can tell by the brain dead. The worst part was the first and second section. I rewrote them both SO many times. Then, I had to cut out two of my favorite parts and save them for next chapter t-t. Technically the longest chapter I've done so far._

**_Disclaimer: _**_Aside from sleep deprivation I have nothing. _

* * *

><p><strong>Game Master's Trials (Part 2)<strong>

Hair flecked out in long whip like motions at Seth's feet, and the tall figure did his best to dodge each deadly strand with quick leaps. The plant creature ran out at him from his left side trying to catch him off guard and swiped her sharp branch hands at him while a strand went for his arm. He landed gracefully on his feet and kicked her in the chest. The blow struck dead center and threw her back. The strand wrapped around his bicep and Seth reacted quickly. He removed the bottom of the scepter in his other hand to reveal a sharp blade protruding from it and severed the lock of dark hair.

The monster screamed in pain, his hair scurrying back around him and the severed strands deteriorating into a runny, black liquid that slid off of his arm. The substance sent disgust all throughout him, and smelled of the sickness and death the monster represented. He pointed the end of the scepter with the sphere and wings at the plant woman while the male coiled in agony. She ran towards him and his eyes narrowed from behind his golden mask. She underestimated him.

"Sands of Seth."(*)

The sands on the beach swirled around him and fused with the destructive white light he wielded normally in his roses. Together they formed a small storm of sand around him. The sand filled winds struck out away from him and at the plant woman. She screamed as it threw her body several meters back. Small tears formed on her green skin from the grains scraping against it and black liquid oozed out in small drizzles. Seth turned to the male monster looking upon the pale creature.

"You walked into this fight half dead already," said Seth. In the hand that didn't contain the scepter one of his blue roses appeared. The creature froze in fear, knowing it stood no chance while its comrade was still struggling to stand back up. Seth threw the rose at the monster's direction. "Light of chaos explosion!" Before it even hit it burst into an orb of blinding light and the pestilence monster cried out one final time before the faded light revealed ashes where it had once stood.

Sand clung to her body from where she laid in it, and her own dark blood turned the ground into sticky sand the color of ink. The female creature lifted herself up with a struggle panting. Her arms curled around her body protectively and she shook. A disturbing swish was heard and lumps formed under her plant like skin.

"You're going to die here." Her body went limp and small pellets fired out from under the skin in her torso at immense speeds. The pellets stuck the ground and buried themselves deep under the ground. She slumped over and gave Seth a view up of her back. The skin stretched thin over lumps, further and further, until it ripped and gave way to thick, giant vines that grew out of her body and violently swirled around. The ground shook beneath their feet and similar appendages sprung up from the ground where the pellets had landed. Seth pulled his weapon closer to himself, there were too many for him to handle alone!

There were too many for him to handle alone. Several threw themselves towards him at once from his right and left side and Seth was at a loss of what to do or which side to parry. His feet fell from under him of no will of his own and he felt something gripping his ankle. The vines missed their mark and swished over him. His chest collided with the ground and he turned his head to see behind him what had dragged him down.

Seth saw the unknown blond civilian holding onto him. His eyes were still glazed over and he'd clearly just regained consciousness. He lay the furthest from the coast, just a step away from the battle raging on while the other were spread out closer to the shoreline laying half in the waves rising and falling.

"I did not need your help," he growled. The fact that he'd saved his life did little to curb Seth's annoyance.

Up ahead the four attacking vines curved down ready to strike. Seto leaped up and severed the one aiming down ward at him and watched it curl back a high pitched screech booming over the beach as it flecked away. He almost didn't see the one in his periphery aiming for the boy who'd saved him. The appendage reflected off of a dome of glowing symbols that sprung up around the boy and damaged from its own attack. It recoiled and swished away closer to the bases of the other vines after the barrier singed off the tip.

"Are you alright?" Ryou asked risen with the sea curling around his ankles. His hair dripped from laying where the tide could brush against it and his posture was sloppy. He'd barely awoken clearly. Jounouchi nodded struck silent in awe of his friend. The shield faded and he lifted himself off of the ground to stand next to Seth.

"Ryou?" He said in shock, and Ryou responded with an equally shocked expression. How could Jounouchi recognize him with the magic surrounding his uniform?

"Sekhmet's cursed flare!"

A small lion head made of fire that glowed and eerie black shot out, exploding in front of the vines closest to the group not attached to the monster's body. It burned away at them and caused a sickening rot to spread throughout withering them away along with the burning. They crumbled to piles of ash and what was left were soggy and dead bits of flesh. From the direction of the attack a dark skinned boy with platinum hair stood in his own Senshi uniform off to the left.

Taking the opportunity Seth called a rose into his hand. The blue flower shone with chaos magic gathering power in the form of beautiful white light. The vines from the creature surrounded their mistress leaking more of her filthy blood where they tore out from her back. They hissed and screeched shooting forward at all of them.

"Light of chaos explosion!" Both were obliterated in the light, delivering the same fate as her companion once the blue rose burst in front of her striking vines.

"Not bad," Malik commented at Seth. "Thanks for not letting us get killed in our sleep." The newest Senshi observed their ally. He didn't give any physical reaction to the praise and gave off an air of apathy.

"None of this would have been necessary if any of you had been careful," Seth muttered. Malik reacted in anger. They hadn't intended to get captured, and there was no reason for him to rub it in their faces. The man clearly wasn't a Senshi, and had no right to judge them.

"And just who the hell are you?" Malik snapped."

"Seth."

The champion of Seth. Forbidden from the Senshi, but pledged as a guardian. Malik knew the story well from growing up with it his whole life. Although, he had never expected to become a Senshi, he had always paid close attention to the tale. It was the closest to a fairytale he'd ever gotten. So far it was better as a story without reality attached to it.

"Hey guys?" Ryou's soft voice piped up. "Um, I think we have some things to explain." He pointed in the direction of Jounouchi, who was just standing there more silent than anyone had ever seen him. Ryou motioned towards Yami and Yuugi laying half in the sand and sea water with the tiny purple cat not too far from them. "We should also get them out of the water. I don't think it'll be comfortable for them to wake up like that."

The three still sleeping were brought out side by side on the beach with the others standing over them. Or in Jounouchi's case crouched down and staring intently at Mahado. He stuck out his index finger slowly moving it close to the oddly colored cat and poked its plump underbelly. The cat simply twitched its nose like a normal cat might when uncomfortable, but Jounouchi jumped back anyways. Mahado stirred further, his teal eyes opening to the bright sun bearing down on the beach.

"What happened?" He yawned sitting up and waving his paw over one of his eyes to rub the sleep from it. There was the feeling that he'd missed something, and the smell of something utterly rotten burning his nose.

"Aww," an unfamiliar voice said. "He really does talk." The cat's head snapped up and he became aware of the human staring down at him. The boy was in typical teenage clothes, if not a bit cheaply made and oversized, including an eye sore of a bright green jacket.

"Jounouchi!" An excited Yuugi called out after he rose from his own slumber. He pulled the boy back in a quick embrace that the other returned eagerly. "You're okay!"

The two teens shared a moment of reunion in front of the Senshi, Seth, and Mahado. It was but a small reprieve from the reality of the situation. Next to Yuugi was the last member of the group on the beach to awake. Yami opened his eyes at the clear sky, the voices of Jounouchi and Yuugi muffled in his ears. He tried to pull himself up, and felt sharp pain shoot through his spine. A whimper escaped his lips. He tried again and lifted himself an inch before falling back.

Yuugi rushed to him and Mahado pounced over Yuugi's lap. The other's surrounded them over the injured teen. Yami quivered as his muscles felt pulled and stretched. The fall onto the beach had been brutal on his already sore body. Everything hurt, and just the rise and fall of his own breathing was enough for new small waves of pain to form. Yuugi reached out to touch him, but his best friend stopped him by grabbing onto his wrist in a gentle grip. Pity formed on Jounouchi's face, for both of his friends.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Jounouchi said.

"Is he one of us?" Malik asked looking over the teenager.

Ryou nodded at his new companion's question. "Sailor Ra." Malik didn't know the boy personally, but he knew how important he was to their group as a whole. He and Seth stood off in the background as an observer of the scene while the other four who actually knew Yami were crowded up close around him. Ryou turned to Mahado, enlightenment suddenly crashing over him. "What about his healing? After the fight in the library he was able to heal me right?"

Mahado scrunched his face. "Yes, but his healing is limited, he hasn't been able to tap into it since then. It can only be used every so often, and we haven't seen whether it works on himself or not yet." Yami's newly discovered healing ability clearly wasn't a trick he could pull out and use whenever he pleased, but they might need it right now. They were in a dangerous situation and without Yami on their side, it was even more so.

"I don't have my pin," Yami admitted barely above a whisper.

"I've got it." Yuugi dug through his leather pocket to pull out the tiny trinket still attached to the piece of torn cloth from Yami's jacket collar. He took the back off and slid it out of the fabric and instead placed it off to the side on Yami's choker. The pin would be tougher to lose or tear off when it was directly attached to something around his neck hopefully. He pushed the back in place careful not to prick Yami's skin. "When I found it outside the spa I knew something must have happened to you guys, so I jumped through and brought it with me."

Despite his agony Yami smiled at the gesture, touched Yuugi had found the pin and saved it to return to him. "Thank you Aibou." Everyone stood back a little further, Jounouchi getting pulled back roughly by Seth for not taking the hint and following along initially. "Millennium crown magic." The gold lights consumed his body and left his Senshi uniform in their stead. He still didn't feel much better, but at least he had access to his Senshi magic.

"Wow," Jounouchi said amazed.

Yami tried to bring back the feeling he'd experienced when he was healing Ryou. There had been guilt, but that didn't seem right. There was also the desire to genuinely help Ryou, to make the pain and hurt go away. He certainly wanted his own pain gone. He focused on his pain, the bruises on his back, and the soreness in his muscles, and the way it hurt to even move too much. Slowly a warm euphoric feeling bubbled up in his chest and covered his entire form in its glow. A literal glow appeared around him, slowly getting dimmer until it faded out completely.

Yami blinked after it left him. For a moment all was quiet and still, none of them willing to see whether the glow had yielded the intended results. Yami placed a hand on the ground behind himself and pushed. His body lifted up and he stood to his feet without any pain or even lingering ache in his body. He'd have to check later, but the foot sized bruises on his ribs and back were likely gone to if he checked. His friends showed relief, along with the new boy he didn't recognize, and Seth remained impassive. He was surprised to see the guardian from his first battle as a Senshi, but Seth had claimed they would be allies.

"Well that's going to be convenient," Ryou said. "Healing I mean."

"I'd say it already is," Malik retorted. He walked up to Yami and offered his hand in greeting to the other Senshi. "Malik Ishtar or Sailor Sekhmet, champion of war, destruction, and plagues." Yami reached out and accepted the hand shaking it lightly before dropping it away. Malik scoffed. "Oh and don't worry, we already explained everything to your stupid friend." He pointed back with his thumb at Jounouchi.

"Hey!" The larger teen shouted at Malik.

"Ahem," Mahado interrupted before Malik's…brash nature could stir up a fight between himself and Jounouchi. All eyes turned to the cat, Jounouchi's still a bit amused by the talking cat. That was going to get annoying quick, Mahado just knew it. At least he probably wouldn't have to be around Jounouchi too much after this. "Malik's family is very well versed on the Senshi and their history, as well as the Egyptian gods. He will be a most useful ally." That seemed to drop the topic of Malik's rude comment for now at least.

"Introductions can wait until after we're off this island I think," Seth spoke. "We still have no idea where we are or what the agent of darkness who brought you here has in store for us."

"Or what happened to those missing children," said Ryou his bottom lip pursed out in worry. Jounouchi's eyes went wide at the familiar sounding situation. "That hair monster was luring stray children from the Domino Museum to a fake bus and taking them here." They had no idea what might have happened to the kids, they'd seen no sign of anything besides themselves or the monsters, but then again they had only been resigned to this small coast so far.

"Missing kids?" he asked. "That's how _we_ ended up here, that lady from the spa kidnapped some child, you think she brought it back here?"

"It's how we all ended up here," said Seth. "I was investigating a specific child, and it lead me to that mall. Then all of you managed to fantastically lead me here by being tricked into falling through a portal of darkness." There was a condescending note to his voice that they all caught onto. Rather than fight, Yami spoke up in a harsh tone.

"Regardless of how we ended up in this situation," most of that directed at Seth, "The important thing is how we're going to get out, and find the missing children." He looked around at the beach, the deep and dark looking forest, and vast wastelands ahead of them. "This place is too large and varied to wander around, almost like it's been tailor made."

"What an excellent deduction!" A man's voice echoed across the beach. All of them faced momentary shock from the phantom voice. Shadows rose from the ground and rushed up into the air above them. They twisted and curled together into a large sphered of black and violet hues that became more and more transparent. Colors formed inside the sphere taking definite shapes until the image of a man with pale lavender hair appeared. Half his face covered by his hair, and the top of a red suit visible from where the image cut off below his shoulder. He looked down at them from the sphere with a grin.

"Who the hell is this guy?!" exclaimed Jounouchi. None of the others answered, because none of them actually knew. The question hanging in the air they looked to the man to provide their answer.

"I'm the man whose plans have been foiled two times too many," He said glancing at Ryou and Yami. His hand rose up enough to be visible, a glass of red wine resting in it swishing around with the tiny swirling of his hand. "Pegasus J. Crawford, general of the Shadow Realm extraordinaire at your service." Seth growled at the man.

"Quit playing these sly games and tell us what you want with the Senshi and the children you took," he demanded from their kidnapper.

Pegasus threw his head back in laughter, it rumbled through his chest merrily and in earnest. So eccentric and childish for a full grown man like him. He clicked his tongue at the brash young man who had shouted at him. "Now, now dear Seth where's your sense of mystery?" He didn't look as amused by Pegasus as the situation, nor did any of the others. "Fine then, straight to the point I see." He took a sip from his wine. Before pulling it away, a small line fell from the corner of his lips leaving a red line down his chin that added to the disturbing qualities of the man's cheerful expression. "I've been tasked with killing those do gooding champions of the gods once and for all, but I'm not a fan of direct warfare. It's so boring, and passé."

"A shame plotting our unjust murders is uneventful for you," Malik snarked.

"Isn't it?" Pegasus responded instead of taking the sarcasm to heart. He swiped his thumb over the line of wine, wiping it off. He brought it to his lips and sucked the remnants of alcohol from his thumb before continuing on. "So I decided, why not make it a game? If you win, you can leave and I return those darling little angels my minions whisked away."

Yami stepped forward, glaring up at the man in the shadow orb. Carefully, he spoke. "And if you win? I'm guessing that means we don't survive."

"Yes, but you see it's not that simple," Pegasus mused. "These are no ordinary games, these are shadow games specifically designed by me."

Mahado gasped and his face twisted in rage. "Pegasus you snake! The shadow games are no toy for your destructive amusement. Not even the Pharaoh would have beckoned them so frivolously." His ears fell back and a hiss entered his enraged voice.

"Humph," he said as a bolt of darkness shot from the orb and threw the cat back into the air. "Was I talking to you fur ball? I didn't think so." Yuugi rushed jumping to catch their feline friend who flinched at the contact initially. Yuugi gripped Mahado tightly to his chest and stared defiantly at Pegasus.

"It doesn't matter!" he declared. "Whatever these shadow games are we'll win! There's no way Yami or any of us will let you harm those children, or get away with what you just did to Mahado!"

"Oh I like you boy!" Pegasus cackled energetically. His entire form shook with the powerful chuckles and he looked to be the pinnacle of amusement. "If you're so sure then I'm guessing you accept? The rules are simple, there will be four separate games, you my darlings must win three, or well…the shadows decide your fate then, and those little darlings an their life force will become fuel for the Shadow Realm." He calmed, and his expression went deathly serious. "Let the games begin."

The image in the orb blurred and twisted away. The orb began to ripple and reshape until it burst into tendrils of darkness that closed in on each other and vanished into thin air. The group only had a moment of peace alone on the coast before their own shadows began to flare up and leak out dark energy. Yuugi with Mahado in his arms was grabbed at his ankles by dark hands emerging from the ground, and pulled halfway into his own shadow.

"Yuugi!" Yami called out. He and Jounouchi tried to run to their friend, but their own shadows spiked up blocking their path. Yuugi tried to pull away to no avail as inch by inch he was pulled into the darkness.

"I'll be okay," he promised. "I know you'll find me." With those final words the shadows pulled him under and Yami watched in horror. The dark hands grew out of each of their shadows one by one, dragging them inside against all their struggles. Ryou's pale head was the next to go under, followed by Malik cursing and shouting. Jounouchi and Seth were both halfway inside their own dark portals by the times Yami felt the cold and empty dark surround him fully.

()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()

The dark surrounded them from every side and angle so tightly it rendered them immobile. The experience was suffocating. There was a sensation of falling through whatever portal their own shadows had been transformed into. The cold and dark energy pulled them down and then shot them back up. Ryou's head emerged from the darkness and he gasped for their air his lungs were deprived of. Painful coughs from deep in his chest wracked his body. He was pulled out onto his feet stumbling over his own feet to regain his balance.

Malik and Yami rose in secession suffering from the same effects of the tainted energy as Ryou had. The three Senshi took a moment to regain their composure and were left panting, doubled over. Malik looked to Yami with a heated gaze.

"Why the hell would you agree to this?" He said.

"I didn't exactly say yes," Yami replied.

"You didn't refuse either!" Malik snapped. "We should have just gone off on the island and searched for wherever Pegasus is hiding, not play into his hands." He stood straight and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're Ra's Senshi, you're supposed to be our leader, but so far you've been as useful as the damn cat!"

A fist against his face was the reply he got. Everyone had to process just exactly what had happened, including Yami himself. The action was born of his pent up emotions mixed with having to deal with Malik, but he still knew he shouldn't have actually struck Malik. He couldn't bring himself to apologize though. Instead Yami looked pissed off to say the least, but deep down he knew he'd over reacted. Anger fueling his actions he stepped forwards and grabbed the front of Malik's robes pulling him close. Their eyes met in an intense standoff. "Because your bitching is so much more helpful!" Yami yelled in his face. "My and Ryou's friends are missing, and nowhere in sight in case you haven't noticed, and we're all in just as much danger as you are." Malik slapped his hand away from his robe and rubbed a hand against the spot Yami had struck him.

"Don't ever put your hands on me again," he said.

Ryou's calm and level voice broke through the volatile moment. "Please just stop fighting." He knew Yami must be worried about Yuugi, and that Malik was probably frightened. It was his first day as a Senshi and already he was pulled into another dimension told he'd be playing twisted games for his life. Neither were in particularly high spirits, but taking it out on each other wouldn't help. "We need to band together, have either of you even noticed where we are?"

A forest, the one they'd caught a glimpse of from the beach most likely. The trees were taller than some skyscrapers and blocked out the sun with their enormous canopies. Aside from the trees there were no other plants, and the sounds of animals were absent from the area. The dark, silent forest seemed more like a scary movie set up than an actual section of woods. There was a single dirt path breaking the endless grass everywhere. A wooden sign pointing in the direction of the path sat in plain sight with the Kanji spelling out 'game one'.

The trail was only semi-illuminated and the further down they tried to see, the less light they had to try to do so. The three shared a hesitant look between them. Yami was the first to make a move toward the path and step onto it. He looked back at the other two Senshi. "It's not like we have any other choice," he pointed out. "Whether we want to play or not, Pegasus won't let us leave until we do." Ryou and Malik silently agreed following behind onto the path. Malik seethed, not in the least bit over being punched in the face by their by default leader. The spot on his jaw where the other struck was already turning red.

Ryou watched the other two, worried. Yami was probably going mad concerned for Yuugi, plus Jounouchi and Mahado missing to add to it, but punching Malik had only made things worse. Nor had Malik antagonizing Yami helped any. Ryou knew he'd have to play peace keeper if they wanted to get out of this alive and with their friends and the missing children. Fighting would only serve to hinder them further. It was a role Ryou was used to playing anyways. They came to a halt in front of a large barren patch with three pathways at the end of the space.

A wooden sign not pointing anywhere this time was placed right where one entered the patch and had writing carved into it. _'One leads to two, two lead to zero,' _it read cryptically. In the patch was a square of nine sandstone tiles in three by three formations. (*) A circle made of the same material was in between the tree paths and the tiles. The Senshi walked into the clearing, Ryou stopped to stare down at the tiles.

"Is the first game a riddle?" Asked Malik thinking back on the sign. He side eyed Yami. "Well? Oh great Sailor Ra?" Yami did his best to ignore the patronizing tone in the way the other addressed him.

"The riddles a false lead," Said Yami while he tried to see further down the three paths. "One leads to two, it just means one path leads to the second game."

"And two leads to zero means the other two lead to nothing," Ryou finished. "If I had to guess, I'd say these tiles are our first game, I think one of us needs to stand on the circle to start."

That didn't sound promising. These games were specifically designed to bring their doom, right? What if losing meant death for whoever was playing, Pegasus did say these were shadow games. Malik didn't like the thought of playing into their captors hands, and he liked it even less when it meant being mocked by being forced to play games like this was some sort of form of sick entertainment for their host.

"Should we really just play along?" Malik questioned. "He's forcing us to play shadow games, do you even know what that means?"

"I'm assuming something ominous from what Mahado said," Yami replied.

"You can't even begin to imagine," muttered Malik. "We'd be better off guessing one of the paths and turning back if it doesn't go anywhere."

"Brilliant idea," Yami deadpanned. "Except who's to say he'd allow a loophole like that? We could end up wandering aimlessly or walking straight into a death trap if we choose wrong."

"We're already in a death trap!"

The two bickered, not noticing the third member of their group step up to the circular stone. He raised once foot and cautiously placed it on the small pedestal. Nothing happened. With equal caution he placed the other down and moved to the very middle of the circled. Bright light hovered over them and formed words, stopping the shouts of the other two immediately when they noticed one of them had already stepped up to bat.

"Ryou what have you done," Malik said.

_"The game is a matching game. Without turning over any of the tiles the player must guess what the images on the four pairs of tiles and the single tile in middle are before time runs out. If the player guesses wrong even once or can't before the time limit, they loose and face a penalty game._

_Hint: The punishment is in the puzzle."_

A puzzle that was the first game? Yami wished his friend hadn't leaped up so quickly to take the game, puzzles were something Yami had always excelled at. Then again, it was his fault for arguing with Malik over actually thinking about the game. He just hoped Ryou wasn't going to pay the price for their mistake. The number _300 _appeared above the puzzle, three hundred seconds was a large amount of time for a guessing game.

The ground rumbled beneath their feet and Yami and Malik had to struggle to keep upright. Behind Ryou's pedestal, large cracks appeared in the ground and the earth broke apart. Ryou made a move to run off the pedestal, but two clawed hands covered in rough greenish brown skin took hold of his pale wrists. They looked diminutive in the giant grasp of what was holding him and the arms spun him around to face the puzzle and spread his arms apart, lifting him off the ground by his wrists. The weight of his body fell to his arm sockets and it hurt, along with the uncomfortable pull on his arms by his captor.

A warm, humid breeze caressed the back side of his body and sounded like it was breathing. The smell of rotten meat was overwhelming and sickening. Malik's scream joined the sounds of the unusual air. He dared to glance at his comrade and saw a look of pure and utter terror plastered on Malik's face, shock and confusion in Yami's own silent stare.

"What is that thing?" Yami asked.

"Ammit," Malik half whispered.

Ryou understood Malik's terror. For a boy raised on the belief of the Egyptian gods, Ammit was the epitome of everything that should be feared. She was also holding him captive, and keeping him turned away from him so he couldn't even see the threat. It was enough to make anyone feel afraid.

"Who's Ammit?" The inevitable question came. Malik wasn't keen to answer, just looking upon the demoness and speaking her name had already done a number on him.

"The devourer," Ryou said from her clutches, "The demon that eats the hearts of anyone who fails the test of Ma'at's scales, with the head of a crocodile, body of a lion, and bottom half of a hippopotamus."

The creature holding him matched Ryou's description as far as Yami could tell, even though it was only partially climbed out of the ground. The head and arms of a giant crocodile rose up from the earth with teeth as thick as Ryou's arms and a hungry gaze trained on the boy in her grasp. A lion's mane grew from her muddy green head over a set of ears similar to a hippos. Ryou was held just barely outside of her wide open mouth, ready to be thrown in.

"Game start," Pegasus's voice filled their air.

The numbers above the game shifted to _259_. Yami felt his stomach drop, it wasn't three hundred seconds, it was only three minutes! Ryou had barely any time to solve the puzzle and was in the hands of an ancient Egyptian demon that ate people's hearts. He understood Malik's fear now, Ryou was going to die if he didn't win.

Ryou felt the pressure on him double when the clock started. Each second was a second closer to having his heart, no his soul swallowed by the crocodile demoness herself. That was the frightening part, to the Egyptians the heart contained the person's soul. Being devoured by Ammit wasn't just death, it was a second death that doomed you to eternal unrest. Saying that out loud would only panic himself and Yami more, he figured Malik was already aware of the implications.

Her grip was iron on his wrists, and there was no shred of hope for escape, he was trapped in the game. The tiles stood still and barren, unassuming for the things that would decide his fate. Ryou tried to think, think of anything that could lead him to the answer of the puzzle. The hint on the rules had to mean something! He just couldn't make sense how it related to the picture of the puzzle.

_"Hint: The punishment is in the puzzle."_

Ammit exhaled loudly and Ryou whimpered. "Damn it!" he shouted. He was so afraid, he could hardly even think. He was supposed to be Thoth's champion, the god of wisdom. Yet, he couldn't even solve a puzzle when his life really did depend on it. Yami and Malik were worried no doubt, they were about to watch him die. The clock closed in on him, ticking his chances of survival away.

_130…_

_129…_

_128…_

_'What were you trying to prove?' _He thought bitterly to himself. _'That you were useful? That you didn't just belong in the background like with everything else?'_

_"None of this would have been necessary if any of you had been careful," _Seth's words echoed in his head. It had been meant for all of them, but had hit home especially brutally for Ryou. Malik had to save him against the monster earlier, Malik and Seth killed the monsters on the beach, and Yami had killed the library monster. They had made the same mistake as him, but they'd also been more useful. What did he do besides stand back and use his shields and mind tricks?

"Ryou!" Yami's voice pierced through his thoughts. Tears he hadn't noticed stopped flowing. "You have to hurry, you only have a minute left!"

_60…_

_59…_

"I can't do it!" Ryou shook his head and yelled in a broken sob.

_58…_

Ammit's breathing was getting louder and faster with anticipation for her meal.

"Yes you can!" Malik yelled this time. The boy pushed back his fear and sent a fierce look in the direction of Ryou and Ammit. "At the museum, you didn't care that it was dangerous. You didn't hesitate to go find me, to save me." Malik remembered the confusion of why the Senshi without any offensive talents would jump head first into battle. "You did that for the same reason you stepped on that pedestal, you're brave Ryou! Now find that courage and solve the damn puzzle before you end up being devoured by her!"

Ammit…that was it! Ryou perked up with realization. The punishment and the puzzle were one and the same, and the demoness was his punishment if he lost. At least being devoured by her was. The nine by nine squares, fit perfectly to what he was thinking. The puzzle was the punishment, it was so simple.

_30…_

_29…_

"I've got it!" Ryou proclaimed. The timer didn't stop though, and the seconds continued to go down.

_28…_

"He said he has it," Malik snapped. "Why isn't the timer stopping?"

"It won't stop until he guesses right," Yami said. Sweat trickled down the first Senshi's brow, there was barely any time left, and if Ryou guessed wrong it was all over anyways.

_"Come on Ryou."_

"The picture is Ammit," Ryou said.

_20…_

_19…_

"The pairs are her eyes, her nostrils, her hands," Ryou looked as the stone tablets turned over with his guesses revealing vaguely carved body parts that matched the ones he described. There was one last pair, he had to guess based on her being multiple animals combined for this one. "The last pair is her ears." The tablets turned over and he felt relief wash over him when it revealed an ear on each one.

_10…_

Ryou swallowed and felt his throat go dry as he looked at the single tablet, was it her head? No, her head was the entire picture, it wouldn't make sense for it to be a part of the puzzle itself. There was only one answer he could think of.

_5…_

_4…_

_3…_

"The single piece," Ryou screwed his eyes shut as tightly as possible as he felt his back growing warmer and warmer. She was bringing him back into it. "Is her mouth!" He internally begged that he was right as he felt her large tongue swiping across his lower back.

_2…_

_1…_

_0_

_()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()_

In a vast expanse of open land that could only be called a wasteland of the missing four from the group trudged through the heat bearing down on them only with occasional mountainous stone's shadows giving the relief of shade. Their breaths were haggard and the two humans were moving more sluggishly than the masked guardian leading the party. Sweat dripped down their bodies and moistened Jounouchi's cloth clothing. His leather clad friend had to be miserable, along with bearing the task of carrying Mahado. Not like that was the only reason for him to be miserable.

They'd been walking for what felt like forever with no sign of the three Senshi, and any hope of running into them was slowly dwindling. The forlorn look on Yuugi's face was proof enough that even he couldn't remain optimistic about the situation. That was just unacceptable. Jounouchi put on a small, fake smile and directed it back at his friend trudging behind.

"Hey," he said. The boy's head popped up at his friend's voice. "You practically got your own little rain cloud over you man, wanna tell me what's wrong?" Jou already had a suspicion, but no one ever felt better from someone else telling them what was wrong with them. He slowed down to fall further behind Seth, making sure the guardian wasn't paying too close attention to move closer to Mahado and Yuugi. He had to remain slightly ahead of them due to the narrow space between two rock formations they'd taken to walking through.

Yuugi furrowed his brows, and began to talk. Quietly and unsure of himself. "I'm worried about Yami and Ryou, and that other boy with them." He paused dragging his fingers between Mahado's ears. Mahado allowed it for the moment, he found himself doing that a lot with his charges. Giving small reprieves at his own pride's expense. "We haven't seen any sign of them, and these games, what if they lose? I might never see them again."

"By them you mean Yami right?" Jou asked. Yuugi's face revealed his guilt and Jou quickly spoke up. "There's nothing wrong with being more worried about Yami, you still care what happens to Ryou and the other guy, Yami's just special." He reached down and put a in his friend's colorful spikes. "And knowing Yami, he'll just fine. Remember what we used to call him in junior high?"

Yuugi chuckled and nostalgia shone in those purple orbs. "The king of games."

"That's right," Jounouchi said slapping his arm. "No one could beat him at anything! So if this is a game session, Yami's got it in the bag."

"…I beat him," Yuugi said with a pause. "At that game of duel monsters right before he left for Tokyo." He remembered that day fondly. It was enough to bring his smile back, briefly. "It was the only time I ever beat him, and then he left."

"Duel monsters?" Mahado asked curiously. The conversation was getting their mind off of the heat and how grim their situation was. So that was a good thing. Mahado wasn't sure how long they'd be forced to walk through this almost desert landscape. Friendly conversation might do them good.

"It's a card game we all used to play," Jounouchi said. "We still do sometimes for fun, Yami was the best at it back in junior high." Jounouchi had gotten over his adoration of the talking kitten and moved on to it being a bit weird, but manageable. Talking cat ranked low on shocking revelations when 'friends are magical ancient Egyptian warriors', and 'you are now in another dimension being controlled by a sick game obsessed bastard' are on that list. He felt fairly comfortable talking with Mahado now and didn't even react too much when the other spoke up now. "Speaking of games, what are the shadow games?"

"You might not want to know," Mahado said carefully. "You're both already concerned for Yami and the others."

"Please," Yuugi said. He held their small friend closer to his chest. "Yami's been hurt every time there's been danger so far, and each time I was there to see it. I thought it was so horrible watching him get hurt." It tore him up inside earlier to see Yami in so much pain that simply moving hurt. He was so focused on protecting others he was the one always getting hurt. "But I think not knowing what's happening to him like this is even worse."

Mahado's heart went out to the gentle boy practically embracing him now. "They're dark games the rules of which are decided by the challenger. They're powered by a dark magic, and terrible consequences known as penalty games awaits the loser or anyone who cheats. They were used sparingly in ancient Egypt because of how dangerous the penalty games were."

Yuugi wished he had followed Mahado's advice. He was more worried than ever after hearing the cat's description of the shadow games. Yami and the others were stuck playing a dangerous game that was powered by dark magic and would cause something horrible to happen if he lost.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Mahado assured him when he saw the effect the news had on Yuugi. "Yami has proven himself to be quite capable in the time I've known him. Do not fear little one."

"That's terrible advice," Seth spoke up for the first time during the entire conversation. Yet he didn't do anything to turn towards them or slow down to talk more closely with them. "He should be fearful, and on his guard. Not being given petty reassurances that serve no purpose."

"Are you really that much of a heartless bastard?!" Jounouchi yelled at him. The other ignored the outburst with a mere scoff. Jounouchi glared at the man's back and sped up to be right behind him. "What you're gonna ignore me to? Just what hell is wrong with us trying to make our friend feel a little better, huh?"

"Be quiet," Seth said stopping abruptly.

"Don't tell me-!"

"Shut up," he said deathly serious and holding an arm out to stop Jounouchi from taking another step. Yuugi stopped shortly after right behind them, confused.

The four of them stopped right where thee crevice they were walking through let out to more a more open area like a small canyon. The orange and red stone formed a spacious area with a single path on the other side much wider than the narrower one they'd been in. Nine large stone tablets stood up vertically in groups of three in the center of the area. They were thin and rectangular shaped, almost like giant cards Yuugi observed.

Seth led them into the area after a moment to look over it, the conversation not quite picking back up. Each of the three humans walked to take a closer look at the groups of tablets. They appeared blank, and like simple sand stone molded to a certain shape. Yuugi was the first to reach out and rub his hand down one, and let the rough stone scrape the pads of his small fingers. Cracks sprung up in the stone and Yuugi jerked back with a gasp.

All nine stones began to methodically crack, but in a clean precise manner like thee stone was being carved into rather than spit apart. The process sped up and chipped away at the front of each stone, images beginning to appear on the faces of rock. Above the rocks a dark sphere like the one Pegasus had appeared in the first time on the coast formed and their host's image within it. All of them glared up at the man keeping them captive.

Pegasus clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Such a cold welcome, especially when I'm taking the time out of my schedule to explain your game to you."

"Our game?" Seth questioned.

"Well you didn't think the Senshi would be the only ones getting to play did you?" He flippantly wove his hand. "I admit I had to improvise yours when I saw there'd be a few extra guests, but all the more fun to go around." The way he talked about playing with their lives like any other simple game was creepy at worst, and annoying at best. "Then a third Senshi appearing made my other three games single player accessible, how lucky did I get?"

Seth wanted nothing more than to strike that grin off of his face, but for now he'd settle for winning these little games he forced them into. "So what's our game?"

"One all of you are quite familiar with, in different contexts," He threw his hand out and the pictures on the tablets glowed brightly. The images were more defined and clear this way and cards appeared in a circle of ten around each of the boys. Green and violet colored cards swirled around them. "In ancient Egypt, the mystically inclined upper crust battled with the spirits of powerful monsters known as Ka. These battles were for war and entertainment alike, and you're getting the chance to experience them first hand. How wonderful huh?"

Yuugi's eyes followed the circle of cards around him, five green and five violet. He recognized the designs on them. "These are duel monster cards. They're magic and trap cards."

"Correct Yuugi-boy," Pegasus said. "Each of you will pick three magic cards, and two traps from the cards around you. Then, you'll pick a monster from the tablets before you as your Ka. The goal of the game is simple; survive. Your Ka is your protector, as well as your life force in this game. If the Ka is destroyed you lose, and if you lose…well try not to lose." Pegasus stared his players down from above, the happy façade dropping for a much more malicious look. "Game start."

Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Seth were left in their individual circle of cards. The circle's slowing down to show them each card clearly. Ahead were their choices between three monsters carved into stone tablets, no attack or defense displayed on the tablets just the pictures to guess from.

Yuugi decided to pick his Ka first, he looked at all three of them, and one was a long and thin dragon with a horn protruding from its snout on the far left. The center one was a man in armor on a horse with a lance, he recognized them. These looked similar to duel monster cards he'd seen from playing the game. Just like the magic and trap cards, the Ka were based on the old game he and his friend enjoyed. The one on the far right caught his attention the most, a man with a staff and a pointed hood.

"Yuugi," Mahado said from his arms. "Choose the one on the right."

He was surprised Mahado had any input to give considering he didn't know about duel monsters, but he was from ancient Egypt, so he might know about the Ka. "That's supposed to be the Black Magician I think."

"Choose it, and let me turn this insult against them," he finally noticed the edge in Mahado's voice and the way he gazed at the tablet. Intense, and enraged like it insulted him with its very existence. Yuugi put his trust in the cat and spoke. "I choose the Black Magician as my Ka." The tablet shone even brighter, and Mahado began to glow. "Mahado?" he questioned as the cat vanished from his arms. He did a double take arms flailing out. Had Pegasus done something? Concern for the feline mentor began to rise.

"Yuugi," Mahado's voice came from above him. Yuugi saw the Black Magician card staring down at him, his magical staff in hand just like the card. "I'm here." Mahado's voice came from the monster.

"Cool!" Jounouchi shouted from his own spot, his five cards in hand and the others dropped around him. Seth had also chosen his magic and trap cards it seemed and held them limply in his hand at his side. "Kitty got an upgrade! Ahh!" He jumped back when a bolt of black energy landed right in front of his feet.

Mahado as the Black Magician smirked. "I think I might actually enjoy this, better than being a cat at least."

"Mahado how is this possible?" Yuugi questioned.

"That's a story very personal to me little one," Mahado replied. "For now, there are more important matters at hand, but know this. In this form I will give my all to protect you, and the others to of course. You will be safe under my watch Yuugi."

"I believe you," Yuugi smiled up at Mahado, and the gesture was returned.

Seth walked over to the tablets and placed his hand on the one in the center. A dragon shaped image inside of it, a bull like monster with an axe and a gargoyle depicted on the two on either side of it. The tablet gave the same shine Mahado had emerged from and a pale blue dragon with bright blue eyes emerged. Its scales glistened beautifully in the sunlight and it let out a strong, powerful roar.

"A blue eyes white dragon," Yuugi observed. "Seth you picked on of the best monsters in the game."

"Naturally," Seth commented. The dragon's tail coiled around Seth in a gesture of submission to its new master.

"Oh yeah," said Jounouchi, "Well I can get a dragon to!" He reached out for the one on the left of his arrangement, next to a very small looking dragon and a man wielding a sword. A dragon with sharper angles and a thinner frame than the image Seth's emerged from. A black dragon rose with glowing red eyes and rough armored scales. It screeched monstrously and floated above him. Jounouchi grinned and pointed to himself. "Naturally, right?"

"Um Jou," Yuugi said awkwardly.

"Yes," Seth said observing the dragon. "You naturally picked the weakest monster out of the three of us. How fitting."

"What?!"

Yuugi did his best to hold back his laughter on his friend's behalf. He'd technically picked his strongest choice out of the three tablets. Jou's voice was yelling in the background, likely at their more stoic companion. Yuugi drowned it out to focus on picking his traps and spells that he'd neglected to grasp yet. He grabbed two violet cards side by side. Spell binding circle, and magic cylinder. The three spell cards he pulled out were book of secret arts, protective seal swords of light, and black magician's tome of black magic. They'd all compliment his Ka and strategy perfectly. He held the card in his left hand and the other five fell uselessly to the ground.

Jou had apparently ceased yelling at Seth, and in favor of turning his back and seething at the other while cursing him under his breath. Seth just stood off to the side, a slight twitch in his brow signaling his irritation. He turned to Mahado.

"This is going to be a problem isn't it?"

"Most likely."

()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()-()

_0_

Ryou didn't move a muscle, not daring to in fear it would somehow provoke the demoness behind him. Yami and Malik watched in anticipation as the final tile dead center in the squares shone and flipped over. Reveling the image of a mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. There was a dumfounded moment where they all were reactionless and numb. Ryou had guessed correct, he'd won. The pale boy felt the rough hands clutching him loosen until he slipped from their grasp.

His bottom hit the standing stone and he let out an 'oomph' rubbing his lower back at the slight sting. The demoness sank backwards back into the earth, the rock rising with a rumble around her like it was consuming her. Much like she had been ready to do to Ryou. Ammit vanished beneath the ground and the cracks in the earth closed up until there was nothing but a normal patch of dirt remaining in that spot. There was no sign she'd ever been there at all. The floating numbers had vanished along with the rules, leaving only the tile puzzle as a reminder of the entire game.

The boy picked himself up and dusted off the back of his uniform from sitting on the stone. He looked up at his two astounded team mates, stepping off the standing stone gently and flashing a bright smile at them. "Well, that was exciting wasn't it?"

They rushed him fast enough to almost knock him right back down. Thankfully their arms wrapping around him kept him firmly upright on his feet. Ryou hadn't known what he'd expected from his team mates after the puzzle game was over. A hug wasn't it though. More like yelling from Malik, and a lecture from Yami, but this was certainly nice. He wrapped his thin arms as best he could around the other two comfortably.

"That was amazing," Malik said as they pulled away. "Might have been better not to cut it so close, just saying." There was no spite this time, but humor.

"You did well Ryou," Yami complimented. "I don't know if you noticed, but Mahado and I haven't really given you thee benefit of the doubt, and I'm sorry for that. Malik was right, you were really brave."

Ryou's cheeks flushed in embarrassment and he fidgeted his hands. "Thank you." He gave a deep inhale. "I understand why you and Mahado have been so, exasperated, by me. You think I don't take this seriously right?" Yami didn't think he needed to answer, Ryou obviously already knew. "I just wanted to say that I do understand. I know this isn't a movie or a book and that I could get hurt. "The morbid words didn't wipe the soft smile from his face. "But I just don't care is the thing. If it means I can help, then I'm alright with everything else."

"Ryou," Yami whispered with a shake of his head. He gave a snort in amusement. "Don't ever change."

Malik wrapped an arm around the others bare shoulders and gave him a playful shake. "Let's go genius, we're going to the next game thanks to you."

The two paths to the right vanished leaving only the left pathway, and directionless forest in place of the false ones. They headed down the remaining path on a much more positive note than they'd approached the first game. The eerie darkness of the forest was more bearable, and Yami and Malik weren't as terse with one another. Ryou was especially impressed when they managed to actually start a conversation without it turning hostile.

"So the two civilians," Malik began. "You both knew them."

"Jounouchi and Yuugi," Yami said. "They're our friends. I really hope they're alright, I can't imagine facing grandpa if something happens to Yuugi." He couldn't imagine facing himself either, or living with himself for that matter. This was exactly why he didn't want Yuugi involved.

"Are you two family?" Asked Malik, he heard Ryou giggle in response.

"No," Yami answered. "Not by blood, I'm adopted."

"So is my older brother and he's still family," Malik fired back. "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb." (*)

"Yami and Yuugi have a very _special_ bond," Ryou said with a wink. Yami was in much shock by Ryou's bluntness as hearing someone say that out loud. Particularly hearing Ryou say it out loud.

"I," he said simply and couldn't think of any words to string together afterward.

"Really?" Malik questioned Ryou understanding the hidden meaning crystal clear. Ryou nodded eagerly and Malik shot their leader a smirk. "Hey, he's hot, and that leather doesn't exactly hide it. The fact that he's the only person as short as you has to be nice to huh?" The pleasant and teasing conversation took their minds away from the danger, and the stress of their predicament. The forest was little more than a silent blur around them.

Yami growled. "We aren't together! Don't we have our impending doom to think about? Let's focus on that."

"What?" Ryou sounded surprised and ignored Yami's alternate conversation topic. "You didn't take my advice? I mean no offense by this, but what's the point of asking if you're not going to follow it?"

"About that…" Yami's shoulder's slumped guiltily. Explaining to Ryou that he'd though he was an agent of the Shadow Realm and that Mahado had been snooping through his room the whole time had been more awkward than he could have imagined. Or if you were a sadistic bastard like Malik, it was completely and utterly hilarious to think sweet little Ryou could have been a monster in disguise.

"Is that why you attacked me in the library?!" Ryou exclaimed. Another thought entered. "Mahado, didn't look under my bed did he?" Yami and Malik responded to those statements at the same time.

"I didn't actually attack you."

"What the hell's under your bed?"

The conversation died down when they spotted a small shack appearing in the distance. It was a tiny one room building made completely out of wood. The wood was in poor condition, moist and rotting with age. There wasn't a single window from the angle they could see it at, and there was a single door with no handle or knob. The trail lead straight to the shack's door with a wooden sign above it.

_'Game 2.'_

"No useless riddle this time?" Ryou joked.

Yami and Malik looked at each other and back at the shack. The decision of who would play the next game was up in the air, and between them considering what Ryou had just been through. Neither wanted to put him through any more stress so soon after the last game. Malik was the one to speak up first.

"I'll go this time," he said. "They should go in order of difficulty right? You should play the last one." Yami was wary of that theory. They shack was becoming closer and they were nearly at its doorsteps.

"I think we should at least see the rules first," Yami tried.

"I can handle whatever it is," Malik said. The door was right in front of them, and Malik placed his palm against it before Yami could say another word. "You're the strongest Senshi, if I win this one you can win the last one and we won't even have to play the fourth game."

He shoved the wooden door open. A creak sounded as the old door rushed forward. There was nothing in the room aside from a chalk board attached to the wall. It looked like an old timey school house minus the desks. Malik stepped onto the rotted floors, half expecting something to reach up and snatch him the moment he did. Nothing happened. He walked into the building smelling dust and mildew. Cobwebs hung in the corners and it was strangely drafty, but that was about it. Malik had no idea what game might be in store for him.

He motioned for the others to join him in the room and they crept into it behind him. Still nothing happened. The silence in the room was becoming suspicious. Ryou walked over to the chalk board unfazed by the creepy atmosphere, while Yami leaned in the doorway. Malik kept walking around investigating. He stayed close to the walls searching for anything that might hint at the game. Carving, letters hidden on the boards, with no luck.

Ryou touched the board, feeling the chalky back surface. He pulled away expecting to see little more than dust collected on his fingertips. There was black power on them. He raised a brow and observed the board more carefully. The spot he'd touched had turned green where the black had rubbed off. He brought his palm up and began to rub away at the black powder hiding the green chalkboard underneath.

"You found something?" Yami asked.

"Maybe," said Ryou thinking. Malik began walking to Ryou from the back wall. He swiped his palm randomly over the board until he caught sight of a white line over the green when a certain spot had been cleaned of dark powder. He started to rub in that specific area revealing the hints of Kanji lettering. He was careful not to rub the white chalk off with the powder and eventually slightly smeared symbols were revealed.

Malik didn't recognize the characters as anything familiar. Yami however looked almost, amused.

"Kagome, Kagome?"(*) Yami said a lilt of laughter in his voice.

"You ever play?" Ryou asked from in front of the board.

"Only in school," Yami shrugged. Malik still didn't know what the hell they were talking about and continued to make his way through the center of the room. "Malik maybe you should stay put, it might be better for me to handle this one."

"I told you I can do this whatever stupid game they have in mind," he scoffed hands tucked behind his head, "and don't tell me what to do."

He reached the center of the room when a strong breeze swept through it. The icy wind air pricked at their exposed skin like tiny needles and made it painful to keep their eyes open. Their hair tangled in the gusts, blowing wildly around their faces. All three grabbed for the front of their robes which had nearly risen up from the violent swaying of the winds.

"Why couldn't we wear pants?!" Ryou cried out trying to keep his longer and looser robes from flying up in the front and back.

"Don't ask me, I didn't make that decision!" Shouted Yami.

"Well someone did!"

They all closed their burning and watering eyes and felt their faces going numb at the bite of the wind. Then, just as quickly as it started, it stopped. They opened their eyes and saw the room itself hadn't changed in the slightest. What was in the room, was a different story. Around Malik were what looked like spectral, children? Their eyes were dead and lifeless, and they glowed an unnatural pale. Their tiny hands were joined in a circle around Malik. Four were identical little girls in elementary school uniforms with the only difference being their red, yellow, blue, and green ribbons in their hair. The four boys were also in uniform and were just as identical, with strings tied around their wrists of the same colors.

They stared up at Malik emotionlessly, and he didn't dare do anything, not knowing what was going on. Ryou and Yami spectated the interaction, both knowing what was going on unlike their companion. Yami tried to step forwards and warn Malik.

"Malik it's a children's game," as his mouth opened to explain the rules it suddenly shit closed on its own accord. Yami tried to open his mouth and speak, but only managed to mumble senselessly. He felt a chill over his mouth.

The other two were able to see the small sliver of shadows that had placed themselves over Yami's mouth. More tendrils rose up to wrap around the slender frame of Ra's champion. They curled tightly around his legs, hips, and all the way past his arms up to his neck. Ryou didn't make the same mistake of trying to help. Malik was caught in the circle frightened and Yami was being tightly squeezed by the dark energy covering his body.

One of the little girls stepped forward out of the circle, and took out the thick, red ribbon from her ponytail. She was the only one with her hair down afterwards, and reached out to give it to Malik. Malik didn't take it at first. She moved closer to him nudging it towards him more consistently. He finally grabbed it, his skin touching hers for only a brief moment, but it was enough for him to feel how cold she was and yelp at the strong sensation.

"Your eyes," her voice whispered. Her lips didn't move though. It sounded like a normal little girl's voice, but with something more sinister hidden beneath it. Malik brought thee ribbon up to his face on her orders. She joined back in the circle, and held hands with the little girls on either side of her. He placed the ribbon over his eyes, and tied it around in the back, tucking it over his hair.

_'What kind of game is this?' _he thought._ 'I don't know what I'm supposed to do.'_

He jumped as a litany of high pitched screams sounded off one by one. Each one was deeper than the last, and it didn't take him long to figure out they were coming from the children. Was the purpose of the game to scare him? If so, then he'd already lost. Nothing bad happened to his relief, but it was short lived.

Tiny footsteps moved over the poorly kept floor boards and young, but horrible voice chanted out. "Kagome, Kagome." Their voices said in almost perfect unison. Malik remembered Ryou saying that's what was written on the board, but he had no idea what it meant. They kept walking around him with their loud, pounding footsteps.

"When oh when will it come out?" The ghostly children sang around him. "In the night of dawn." The breeze from earlier returned waving around him, and almost drowning out the children's chanting. Everything was darkness to his eyes though, making every little sound so much clearer. From their twisted little song, to the whistling of the wind, and to Yami's frantic muffles from trying to get something out to him. It was no good. He was trapped in a game he had no idea how to play.

"The crane and the turtle slipped," they sang.

He just wanted it to be over. He'd take his penalty, it was his fault this was happening. He should have just listened to Yami and let one of them play. Malik just wanted the darkness, the footsteps, and the chanting to stop!

"Who is behind you now?" The chanting stopped. The footstep stopped, and the breeze faded away. All at once everything was silent.

That was it? Malik didn't think going through some frightening phantom children chanting at you was much of a game.

"Who is behind you now?" they chanted again.

Malik's heart sank as he suddenly understood. He was supposed to pay attention to who had been around him, remember what their voices sounded like from the screams, and ignore the distractions of the wind. All to guess which child was behind him when the chant ended. He'd been so busy panicking and trying to figure out the rules, he'd completely screwed himself over. Now the question was what were these little freaks going to do to him when he answered wrong.

With a shaky breath he answered them. "The girl without a ribbon?" He couldn't even remember what any of the others looked like. The makeshift blindfold fell from his face and to the floor. The little girl with her hair down was standing right in front of him. She reached down, and casually picked her ribbon up, walking back to the circle.

"You lose," and they all vanished, an illusion being lifted. Those two words echoed in Malik's mind. He'd lost. He'd lost a shadow game.

Malik stood as stiff as a board, wide eyed and in total shock. The shadows holding Yami faded away and dropped the short teen. Ryou and he both stared at Malik as the same shadows slithered across the floor towards the Egyptian. They crawled up his body like a dark snake leaving him numb where ever they touched. Malik's heart fell ready to burst out of his chest. This couldn't be happening, but it was. The shadows were curling around him and pulling him into the tainted grasp.

"Penalty game," Pegasus voice cackled from all around them.

"No!" Malik finally snapped out of his daze and started to trash around trying to get away. They were relentless. Whenever an inch of skin slipped away, two more was covered somewhere else. They were on his face! Under his eyes sliding over them.

"Hang on!" Yami screamed as he and Ryou were trying to pull him free. He didn't know when they'd run to his aid, too distracted by trying to escape what deep down a some part of him recognized was inevitable. There was no escaping a penalty game, someone had to pay the price.

Yami was flung back by the dark energy enough for him to hit the wall. Ryou however held on tight and continued to try and free the other Senshi. "I was the one who found you, I promised Isis I'd bring you back." Ryou said going limp against his immobilized form. Actually it was more like sobbing than speaking. "I should have looked after you like Yami and Mahado are trying to with me."

_'It's my own fault_,' Malik thought as the shadows moved over his face. His vision was darkness again, just like in the game. A fitting penalty if that's what it was, to be thrown into the dark. Malik was confined to morbid acceptance of his fate, waiting for the worst.

"Take me instead!" Ryou's voice pierced the darkness. "I'll take the penalty, just let him go!"

_'No!'_

Where darkness had been light burned through and destroyed every shadow in its path. It hurt, and yet it felt like salvation. Malik felt himself being lifted up through the harsh light for only mere seconds before the sensation of his soul slamming back into his own body caused him to collapse. Malik was flat on the floor gripping his chest, crying heavily and gasping after every tear just about. Everything felt wrong, and it took all of his remaining strength to pull himself up off of thee floor.

Only to end up slammed right back down. Yami pounced onto the taller boy, pinning his shoulders down on the floor and straddling his waist. Despite his diminutive size, he still felt pretty heavy on Malik, who was a bit shaken by what he'd experienced. A fist slammed into his chest and knocked the little bit of wind left out of his chest. He almost vomited from the surprise impact. Yami looked murderous on top of him. Violet eyes glistening with tears and anger.

"What have you done?!"

Malik made a key observation after his gained his ability to take in a breath back.

Ryou was nowhere to be seen.

"I told you to wait," Yami cried. "I warned you!" The champion of Ra slumped over on top of Malik, and the other boy couldn't think of anything other to do but wrap his arms around the other in a small comfort.

"I'm sorry."

"He's gone," Yami said sorrow pouring from his words. He stayed there like that in Malik's arms in the middle of the floor in the rotten schoolhouse. "Ryou's gone."

* * *

><p>(*) Seth is the god of the desert and chaos. Also foreigners, but that'd be a very awkward power set so let's stick with the first two.<p>

(*) This is based on an actual shadow gamee from the manga that Shadi forces Yami to play originally.

(*) This is the origin of "blood is thicker than water" and ironically actually means the exact opposite.

(*) Kagome, Kagome is a children's game played in Japan where a child sits in the middle blindfolded and the others circles around him chanting the song I put in this scene (or another variation of it). When the chant stops the child in the middle must correctly guess who is behind them to be allowed to leave the middle and trade places.

**Episode 3 (Part 3) Preview: **_With a member down, the Senshi approach their final game with an unexpected opponent. Meanwhile Yuugi, Jounouchi, Mahado and Seth do their best to survive their own shadow game together and reach the other's in Pegasus' castle before it's too late. _


End file.
